Automatic vehicle diagnostic detection and communication

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for vehicle diagnostic detection and communication are disclosed. Specifically, a method to monitor the health of vehicle systems and subsystems and diagnose detected anomalies is provided. In the event an anomaly or unhealthy state is detected within a vehicle, subsystem or component, the system may take a number of actions. In one embodiment, the actions comprise notifying a maintenance provider, a regulatory monitor, and original equipment manufacturer. The system may also maintain a vehicle fleet-wide performance database to enable identification and analysis of systemic fleet-wide data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/253,388, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, of thesame title, which claims the benefits of and priority, under 35 U.S.C.§119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/811,981, filed onApr. 15, 2013, entitled “Functional Specification for a Next GenerationAutomobile”; 61/865,954, filed on Aug. 14, 2013, entitled “GestureControl of Vehicle Features”; 61/870,698, filed on Aug. 27, 2013,entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with VehicleFeatures”; 61/891,217, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, entitled “Gesture Controland User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/904,205, filedon Nov. 14, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associatedwith Vehicle Features”; 61/924,572, filed on Jan. 7, 2014, entitled“Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”;and 61/926,749, filed on Jan. 13, 2014, entitled “Method and System forProviding Infotainment in a Vehicle.” The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled, “Configurable VehicleConsole”; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled“Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/462,593, filed onMay 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/462,596,filed on May 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display”;Ser. No. 13/679,459, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “VehicleComprising Multi-Operating System” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-228); Ser.No. 13/679,234, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Gesture Recognitionfor On-Board Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-229); Ser. No.13/679,412, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Application Storefor Console” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-230); Ser. No. 13/679,857, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Sharing Applications/Media Between Car andPhone (Hydroid)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-231); Ser. No. 13/679,878,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In-Cloud Connection for CarMultimedia” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-232); Ser. No. 13/679,875, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Music Streaming” (Attorney Docket No.6583-233); Ser. No. 13/679,676, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State” (Attorney Docket No.6583-234); Ser. No. 13/678,673, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Insurance Tracking” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-235); Ser. No.13/678,691, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Law Breaking/BehaviorSensor” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-236); Ser. No. 13/678,699, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Etiquette Suggestion” (Attorney Docket No.6583-237); Ser. No. 13/678,710, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Parking Space Finder Based on Parking Meter Data” (Attorney Docket No.6583-238); Ser. No. 13/678,722, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Parking Meter Expired Alert” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-239); Ser. No.13/678,726, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Object Sensing (PedestrianAvoidance/Accident Avoidance)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-240); Ser. No.13/678,735, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Proximity Warning Relativeto Other Cars” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-241); Ser. No. 13/678,745,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Street Side Sensors” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-242); Ser. No. 13/678,753, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Car Location” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-243); Ser. No. 13/679,441,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Universal Bus in the Car” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-244); Ser. No. 13/679,864, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Mobile Hot Spot/Router/Application Share Site or Network”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-245); Ser. No. 13/679,815, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “Universal Console Chassis for the Car” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-246); Ser. No. 13/679,476, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Vehicle Middleware” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-247); Ser. No.13/679,306, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System forVehicle Data Collection Regarding Traffic” (Attorney Docket No.6583-248); Ser. No. 13/679,369, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Methodand System for Vehicle Data Collection” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-249);Ser. No. 13/679,680, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “CommunicationsBased on Vehicle Diagnostics and Indications” (Attorney Docket No.6583-250); Ser. No. 13/679,443, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Methodand System for Maintaining and Reporting Vehicle Occupant Information”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-251); Ser. No. 13/678,762, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-252); Ser. No. 13/679,292, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Branding of Electrically Propelled Vehicles Via the Generation ofSpecific Operating Output” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-258); Ser. No.13/679,400, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Climate Control”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-313); Ser. No. 13/840,240, filed on Mar. 15,2013, entitled “Improvements to Controller Area Network Bus” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-314); Ser. No. 13/678,773, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Location Information Exchange Between Vehicle and Device”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-315); Ser. No. 13/679,887, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “In Car Communication Between Devices” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-316); Ser. No. 13/679,842, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Configurable Hardware Unit for Car Systems” (Attorney Docket No.6583-317); Ser. No. 13/679,204, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Feature Recognition for Configuring a Vehicle Console and AssociatedDevices” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-318); Ser. No. 13/679,350, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Vehicle Console” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-412); Ser. No. 13/679,358, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Configurable Dash Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-413); Ser. No.13/679,363, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up DashDisplay” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-414); and Ser. No. 13/679,368, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-415). The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Whether using private, commercial, or public transport, the movement ofpeople and/or cargo has become a major industry. In today'sinterconnected world, daily travel is essential to engaging in commerce.Commuting to and from work can account for a significant portion of atraveler's day. As a result, vehicle manufacturers have begun to focuson making this commute, and other journeys, more enjoyable.

Currently, vehicle manufacturers attempt to entice travelers to use aspecific conveyance based on any number of features. Most of thesefeatures focus on vehicle safety or efficiency. From the addition ofsafety-restraints, air-bags, and warning systems to more efficientengines, motors, and designs, the vehicle industry has worked to appeasethe supposed needs of the traveler. Recently, however, vehiclemanufactures have shifted their focus to user and passenger comfort as aprimary concern. Making an individual more comfortable while travelinginstills confidence and pleasure in using a given vehicle, increasing anindividual's preference for a given manufacturer and/or vehicle type.

One way to instill comfort in a vehicle is to create an environmentwithin the vehicle similar to that of an individual's home. Integratingfeatures in a vehicle that are associated with comfort found in anindividual's home can ease a traveler's transition from home to vehicle.Several manufacturers have added comfort features in vehicles such asthe following: leather seats, adaptive and/or personal climate controlsystems, music and media players, ergonomic controls, and, in somecases, Internet connectivity. However, because these manufacturers haveadded features to a conveyance, they have built comfort around a vehicleand failed to build a vehicle around comfort.

SUMMARY

There is a need for a vehicle ecosystem, which can integrate bothphysical and mental comforts, while seamlessly communicating withcurrent electronic devices to result in a totally intuitive andimmersive user experience. These and other needs are addressed by thevarious aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the presentdisclosure. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms ofexemplary and optional embodiments, it should be appreciated thatindividual aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.

Embodiments include a method, comprising: receiving sensor data;determining, from the sensor data, if a user is in contact with avehicle; determining if a user in contact with the vehicle is anunauthorized user; and taking an action if a user in contact with thevehicle is an unauthorized user. Aspects of the above method includewherein receiving sensor data comprises receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising comparing the sensor data to stored authorized user profiledata. Aspects of the above method include wherein the taking actioncomprises providing an alert. Aspects of the above method includewherein the user is not an unauthorized user if one or morecharacteristics of the authorized user profile data match one or morecharacteristics of the user in contact with the vehicle. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the one or more vehicle sensors comprise animage sensor and a seat weight sensor. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein the providing an alert comprises a visual alert, anaudio alert, emergency responder alert, and alert to one or moreauthorized users. Aspects of the above method include whereindetermining if a user in contact with the vehicle is an unauthorizeduser comprises comparing biometric data of the user in contact with thevehicle with biometric data of authorized users. Aspects of the abovemethod include wherein the one or more vehicle sensors comprises atleast one image sensor. Aspects of the above method include whereindetermining if a user in contact with the vehicle is an unauthorizeduser comprises identifying facial features of the user in contact withthe vehicle by the at least one image sensor and comparing theidentified facial features with facial features of authorized users.Aspects of the above method include wherein the taking action comprisesdisabling the vehicle. Aspects of the above method include wherein thealert is sent in real-time. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising recording sensor data associated with the user in contactwith the vehicle.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include an intruder alert system for a vehicle comprising avehicle control system configured to: receive sensor data; determine,from the sensor data, if a user is in contact with a vehicle; determineif a user in contact with the vehicle is an unauthorized user; and takean action if a user in contact with the vehicle is an unauthorized user.Aspects of the above system include wherein the vehicle control systemis further configured to determine if a user in contact with the vehicleis an unauthorized user comprising comparing biometric data of the userin contact with the vehicle with biometric data of authorized users.

Embodiments include a method comprising: receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors; determining, from the sensor data, if vehicledamage has occurred; and taking action if vehicle damage occurs. Aspectsof the above method include further comprising comparing the sensor datato vehicle damage threshold data. Aspects of the above method includewherein vehicle damage occurs if one or more vehicle damage thresholdsare exceeded. Aspects of the above method include wherein the vehicledamage threshold data is stored in authorized user profile data. Aspectsof the above method include wherein the one or more vehicle sensorscomprise an image sensor, a motion sensor, a vibration sensor and aforce sensor. Aspects of the above method include wherein the takingaction comprises providing an alert. Aspects of the above method includewherein the providing an alert comprises a visual alert, an audio alert,emergency responder alert, and alert to one or more authorized users.Aspects of the above method include further comprising providing anotice in real-time. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising identifying at least one of the location of the damage andthe degree of the damage. Aspects of the above method include whereinboth the location of the damage and the degree of the damage areidentified and both are communicated to a third party. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the taking action comprises guiding one ormore vehicle sensors to sense an area surrounding the vehicle damage.Aspects of the above method include wherein the one or more vehiclesensor comprise a sensor located within a body frame of the vehicle.Aspects of the above method include further comprising recording sensordata associated with vehicle damage.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include a vehicle damage incident detection systemcomprising a vehicle control system configured to: a vehicle controlsystem configured to: receive sensor data from one or more vehiclesensors; determine, from the sensor data, if vehicle damage hasoccurred; and take action if vehicle damage occurs. Aspects of the abovesystem include wherein the vehicle control system is further configuredto compare the sensor data to vehicle damage threshold data.

Embodiments include a method comprising: receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors; identifying, from the sensor data, an identityof a user of a vehicle; determining, from the sensor data, if a user isnot in compliance with a user vehicle operating term; and taking actionif the user is not in compliance with a user vehicle operating term.Aspects of the above method include wherein the user vehicle operatingterm is at least one of a maintenance standard, a warranty requirementand a user operating restriction. Aspects of the above method includefurther comprising comparing the sensor data to at least one of vehiclemaintenance standards, vehicle warranty requirements and user profileoperating restrictions. Aspects of the above method include wherein theuser is not in compliance with a user vehicle operating term if thecomparison results in one or more characteristics of vehicle maintenancestandards, vehicle warranty requirements and user profile operatingrestrictions not satisfied. Aspects of the above method include whereinthe taking action comprises noticing a third party if the user is not incompliance with a user vehicle operating term. Aspects of the abovemethod include wherein the third party is at least one of an insuranceprovider, warranty provider, authorized monitor and user. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising updating a user profile databaseregarding the user vehicle not in compliance. Aspects of the abovemethod include wherein the one or more vehicle sensors include anodometer, a tachometer, an oil level meter and an image sensor. Aspectsof the above method include wherein the taking action comprisesproviding an alert. Aspects of the above method include wherein theproviding an alert comprises a visual alert, an audio alert, emergencyresponder alert, and alert to an authorized monitor. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising identifying the one or morecharacteristics of vehicle maintenance standards, vehicle warrantyrequirements and user profile operating restrictions not satisfied.Aspects of the above method include wherein the taking action comprisesnoticing a third party if the user is not in compliance with a uservehicle operating term. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising receiving a query from a warranty provider if a user is notin compliance with a vehicle warranty requirement.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include a vehicle maintenance and warranty compliancedetection system comprising a vehicle control system configured to:receive sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors; identify, from thesensor data, an identity of a user of a vehicle; determine, from thesensor data, if a user is not in compliance with a user vehicleoperating term; and take action if the user is not in compliance with auser vehicle operating term. Aspects of the above system include whereinthe user vehicle operating term is at least one of a maintenancestandard, a warranty requirement and a user operating restriction.

Embodiments include a method comprising: receiving occupant healthsensor data for one or more vehicle occupants; determining, fromoccupant health sensor data for the one or more vehicle occupants, ifone or more vehicle occupants are in need of medical attention; andtaking action if one or more vehicle occupants are in need of medicalattention. Aspects of the above method include further comprisingcomparing the occupant health sensor data to baseline health thresholddata for the one or more vehicle occupants. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein one or more vehicle occupants are in need of medicalattention if a baseline health threshold is exceeded. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the health sensor data senses userparameters comprising body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate,respiratory rate, and other vital signs. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein the baseline health threshold data comprises bodytemperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, andassociated vital signs. Aspects of the above method include wherein thetaking action comprises providing an alert. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein the providing an alert comprises a visual alert, anaudio alert, emergency responder alert, and alert to one or moreauthorized users. Aspects of the above method include further comprisingreceiving vehicle sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors anddetermining, from the vehicle sensor data, if vehicle damage hasoccurred. Aspects of the above method include further comprisingidentifying at least one of the location of the damage and the degree ofthe damage. Aspects of the above method include wherein both thelocation of the damage and the degree of the damage are identified andboth are communicated to a third party. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein the taking action comprises guiding one or more vehiclesensors to sense an area surrounding the vehicle damage. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising recording sensor data associatedwith the vehicle damage. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising receiving vehicle sensor data from one or more vehiclesensors and determining, from the vehicle sensor data, if vehicle damagehas occurred.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include an automatic communication of damage and health ofusers in detected vehicle incidents system comprising a vehicle controlsystem configured to: receive vehicle sensor data from one or morevehicle sensors; determine, from the vehicle sensor data, if vehicledamage has occurred; receive occupant health sensor data for one or morevehicle occupants; determine, from occupant health sensor data for theone or more vehicle occupants, if one or more vehicle occupants are inneed of medical attention; and take action if one or more vehicleoccupants are in need of medical attention. Aspects of the above systeminclude wherein the health sensor data senses user parameters comprisingbody temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, andother vital signs.

Embodiments include a method comprising: receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors; determining vehicle health state of one or moresubsystems of a vehicle; determining an overall vehicle health status;and taking action regarding the vehicle health status. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising comparing the sensor data tosubsystem specification data. Aspects of the above method includewherein the subsystem specification data is stored in a maintenancedatabase. Aspects of the above method include wherein the one or moresubsystems of a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparison results in one ormore characteristics of subsystem specification data not satisfied.Aspects of the above method include wherein if one or more subsystems ofa vehicle is unhealthy, the vehicle is unhealthy. Aspects of the abovemethod include further comprising noticing a third party if the vehicleis in an unhealthy status. Aspects of the above method include whereinthe third party is at least one of an original equipment manufacturer(OEM), a maintenance provider, a regulatory monitor and a user. Aspectsof the above method include further comprising updating a fleet-wide OEMperformance database if one or more subsystems are unhealthy. Aspects ofthe above method include wherein the taking action comprises providingan alert. Aspects of the above method include further comprisingreceiving a query from a third-party as to the health state of one ormore subsystems of the vehicle. Aspects of the above method includefurther comprising diagnosing the unhealthy subsystem. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising noticing a third party if thevehicle is in an unhealthy status. Aspects of the above method includewhere the one or more vehicle sensors include an odometer, a tachometer,an oil level meter and an image sensor.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include a vehicle diagnostic detection and communicationsystem comprising a vehicle control system configured to: receive sensordata from one or more vehicle sensors; determine vehicle health state ofone or more subsystems of a vehicle; determine an overall vehicle healthstatus; and take action regarding the vehicle health status. Aspects ofthe above system include the vehicle control system further configuredto compare the sensor data to subsystem specification data, wherein theone or more subsystems of a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparisonresults in one or more characteristics of subsystem specification datanot satisfied.

Embodiments include a method comprising receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors comprising a vehicle skin sensor; calibrating avehicle skin baseline condition; determining, from the sensor data asagainst the vehicle skin baseline condition, if a vehicle skin event hasoccurred; and taking action if a vehicle skin event occurs. Aspects ofthe above method include further comprising comparing the sensor data tovehicle skin event threshold data. Aspects of the above method includewherein vehicle skin damage occurs if one or more vehicle skin eventsexceed one or more skin damage thresholds. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein the vehicle skin damage threshold data is stored inauthorized user profile data. Aspects of the above method includewherein the vehicle skin sensor is disposed on or within a portion of anexterior surface of the vehicle. Aspects of the above method includewherein the taking action comprises providing an alert. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the providing an alert comprises a visualalert, an audio alert, emergency responder alert, and alert to one ormore authorized users. Aspects of the above method include wherein thetaking action comprises providing a notice, the notice comprisingidentification of a location of vehicle skin damage, wherein vehicleskin damage occurs if one or more vehicle skin events exceed one or moreskin damage thresholds. Aspects of the above method include wherein boththe location of the vehicle skin damage and the degree of the vehicleskin damage are identified and both are communicated to a third party.Aspects of the above method include wherein the taking action comprisesguiding one or more vehicle sensors to sense an area surrounding thevehicle skin event. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising recording sensor data associated with the vehicle skindamage. Aspects of the above method include wherein the vehicle skinsensor comprises an electrical resistivity sensor, a magnetic fieldsensor, an image sensor, an RF sensor, a vibration sensor and afrequency sensor. Aspects of the above method include wherein thecalibrating a vehicle skin baseline condition comprises a frequencyresponse of at least a portion of the vehicle skin.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include a vehicle skin event detection system comprising avehicle control system configured to: receive sensor data from one ormore vehicle sensors comprising a vehicle skin sensor; calibrate avehicle skin baseline condition; determine, from the sensor data asagainst the vehicle skin baseline condition, if a vehicle skin event hasoccurred; and take action if a vehicle skin event occurs. Aspects of theabove system include wherein the vehicle skin sensor is disposed on orwithin a portion of an exterior surface of the vehicle.

Embodiments include a method comprising: receiving sensor data from oneor more vehicle sensors; determining vehicle health state of one or moresubsystems of a vehicle; determining an overall vehicle health status;and noticing a user if vehicle is unhealthy; seeking authorization fromthe user to take action if vehicle is unhealthy; and taking actionregarding the vehicle health status. Aspects of the above method includefurther comprising comparing the sensor data to subsystem specificationdata. Aspects of the above method include wherein the one or moresubsystems of a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparison results in one ormore characteristics of subsystem specification data not satisfied.Aspects of the above method include wherein if one or more subsystems ofa vehicle is unhealthy, the vehicle is unhealthy. Aspects of the abovemethod include further comprising noticing a third party if the vehicleis in an unhealthy status. Aspects of the above method include whereinthe third party is at least one of an original a maintenance provider,an emergency agency and a user. Aspects of the above method includewherein the taking action comprises providing an alert. Aspects of theabove method include further comprising diagnosing the unhealthysubsystem. Aspects of the above method include wherein the one or morevehicle sensors include an odometer, a tachometer, an oil level meterand an image sensor. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising receiving occupant health sensor data for one or more vehicleoccupants and determining, from occupant health sensor data for the oneor more vehicle occupants, if one or more vehicle occupants are in needof medical attention. Aspects of the above method include furthercomprising comparing the occupant health sensor data to baseline healththreshold data for the one or more vehicle occupants. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the health sensor data senses userparameters comprise body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate,respiratory rate, and other vital signs. Aspects of the above methodinclude further comprising taking action if one or more vehicleoccupants are in need of medical attention.

Embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performoperations comprising the above methods. Embodiments include a device,means, and/or system configured to perform the above methods.

Embodiments include a vehicle diagnostics and roadside assistance systemcomprising a vehicle control system configured to: receive sensor datafrom one or more vehicle sensors; determine vehicle health state of oneor more subsystems of a vehicle; determine an overall vehicle healthstatus; and notice a user if vehicle is unhealthy; seek authorizationfrom the user to take action if vehicle is unhealthy; and take actionregarding the vehicle health status. Aspects of the above system includethe vehicle control system further configured to compare the sensor datato subsystem specification data, wherein the one or more subsystems of avehicle is unhealthy if the comparison results in one or morecharacteristics of subsystem specification data not satisfied.

The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages depending onthe particular aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. For example, amethod and system for detecting an intruder near or within a vehicleincreases safety of drivers of vehicles and serves as a deterrent totheft and vandalism. A method and system to detect, identify andcommunicate vehicle damage streamlines the vehicle repair and insuranceclaim process. A method and system to monitor the compliance of a userwith vehicle maintenance and operating requirements and vehicle warrantyterms increases the timely and effective care of a vehicle therebyproviding safer vehicle operations. A method and system to monitor thehealth of occupants and detect and identify any occupants experiencing amedical anomaly provides for healthier drivers and more effectiveemergency care. A method and system to monitor the health of vehiclesystems and subsystems and diagnose detected anomalies enables a vehiclefleet-wide performance database to enable identification and analysis ofsystemic fleet-wide data. A method and system to monitor the exteriorsurface of skin of a vehicle enables detection and identification ofdamage to the vehicle exterior surface. And a method and system forvehicle diagnostics and roadside assistance allows safer and moreconfident vehicle operations.

These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure.

The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at leastone of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received before theperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material.”

The term “automotive navigation system” can refer to a satellitenavigation system designed for use in vehicles. It typically uses a GPSnavigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a roadin the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can givedirections to other locations along roads also in its database. Deadreckoning using distance data from sensors attached to the drivetrain, agyroscope and an accelerometer can be used for greater reliability, asGPS signal loss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons ortunnels.

The term “bus” and variations thereof, as used herein, can refer to asubsystem that transfers information and/or data between variouscomponents. A bus generally refers to the collection communicationhardware interface, interconnects, bus architecture, standard, and/orprotocol defining the communication scheme for a communication systemand/or communication network. A bus may also refer to a part of acommunication hardware that interfaces the communication hardware withthe interconnects that connect to other components of the correspondingcommunication network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as aphysical bus, or wireless network, such as part of an antenna orhardware that couples the communication hardware with the antenna. A busarchitecture supports a defined format in which information and/or datais arranged when sent and received through a communication network. Aprotocol may define the format and rules of communication of a busarchitecture.

The terms “communication device,” “smartphone,” and “mobile device,” andvariations thereof, as used herein, can be used interchangeably and mayinclude any type of device capable of communicating with one or more ofanother device and/or across a communications network, via acommunications protocol, and the like. Exemplary communication devicesmay include but are not limited to smartphones, handheld computers,laptops, netbooks, notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers,scanners, portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portablemusic players, and other Internet-enabled and/or network-connecteddevices.

A “communication modality” can refer to any protocol- or standarddefined or specific communication session or interaction, such asVoice-Over-Internet-Protocol (“VoIP), cellular communications (e.g.,IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4G/IMT-Advanced standards, 3GPP, WIMAX™,GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, NEVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS,ITU-R, and 5G), Bluetooth™, text or instant messaging (e.g., AIM, Blauk,eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit,Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger™ or MSN Messenger™,Wireclub, Xfire, and Yahoo! Messenger™) email, Twitter (e.g., tweeting),Digital Service Protocol (DSP), and the like.

The term “communication system” or “communication network” andvariations thereof, as used herein, can refer to a collection ofcommunication components capable of one or more of transmission, relay,interconnect, control, or otherwise manipulate information or data fromat least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As such, thecommunication may include a range of systems supporting point-to-pointor broadcasting of the information or data. A communication system mayrefer to the collection individual communication hardware as well as theinterconnects associated with and connecting the individualcommunication hardware. Communication hardware may refer to dedicatedcommunication hardware or may refer a processor coupled with acommunication means (i.e., an antenna) and running software capable ofusing the communication means to send and/or receive a signal within thecommunication system. Interconnect refers some type of wired or wirelesscommunication link that connects various components, such ascommunication hardware, within a communication system. A communicationnetwork may refer to a specific setup of a communication system with thecollection of individual communication hardware and interconnects havingsome definable network topography. A communication network may includewired and/or wireless network having a pre-set to an ad hoc networkstructure.

The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), or magnetic oroptical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as mainmemory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any othermagnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a compact disc read only memory(CD-ROM), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a random access memory (RAM), aprogrammable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmable readonly memory EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memorycard, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as describedhereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Adigital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained informationarchive or set of archives is considered a distribution mediumequivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readablemedia is configured as a database, it is to be understood that thedatabase may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution mediumand prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations of the present disclosure are stored. It shouldbe noted that any computer readable medium that is not a signaltransmission may be considered non-transitory.

The terms dash and dashboard and variations thereof, as used herein, maybe used interchangeably and can be any panel and/or area of a vehicledisposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or passenger. Dashboards mayinclude, but are not limited to, one or more control panel(s),instrument housing(s), head unit(s), indicator(s), gauge(s), meter(s),light(s), audio equipment, computer(s), screen(s), display(s), HUDunit(s), and graphical user interface(s).

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, orcombination of hardware and software that is capable of performing thefunctionality associated with that element.

The term “desktop” refers to a metaphor used to portray systems. Adesktop is generally considered a “surface” that may include pictures,called icons, widgets, folders, etc. that can activate and/or showapplications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, documents, and othergraphical items. The icons are generally selectable to initiate a taskthrough user interface interaction to allow a user to executeapplications and/or conduct other operations.

The term “display” refers to a portion of a physical screen used todisplay the output of a computer to a user.

The term “displayed image” refers to an image produced on the display. Atypical displayed image is a window or desktop. The displayed image mayoccupy all or a portion of the display.

The term “display orientation” refers to the way in which a rectangulardisplay is oriented for viewing. The two most common types of displayorientations are portrait and landscape. In landscape mode, the displayis oriented such that the width of the display is greater than theheight of the display (such as a 4:3 ratio, which is 4 units wide and 3units tall, or a 16:9 ratio, which is 16 units wide and 9 units tall).Stated differently, the longer dimension of the display is orientedsubstantially horizontal in landscape mode while the shorter dimensionof the display is oriented substantially vertical. In the portrait mode,by contrast, the display is oriented such that the width of the displayis less than the height of the display. Stated differently, the shorterdimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in theportrait mode while the longer dimension of the display is orientedsubstantially vertical. A multi-screen display can have one compositedisplay that encompasses all the screens. The composite display can havedifferent display characteristics based on the various orientations ofthe device.

The term “electronic address” can refer to any contactable address,including a telephone number, instant message handle, e-mail address,Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”), Global Universal Identifier (“GUID”),Universal Resource Identifier (“URI”), Address of Record (“AOR”),electronic alias in a database, etc., combinations thereof.

The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intendedidea, action, meaning, result, and/or outcome. The user action caninclude manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device,changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.),movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of animplement or tool in relation to the device, audio inputs, etc. Agesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with thedevice to interact with the device.

The term “gesture capture” refers to a sense or otherwise a detection ofan instance and/or type of user gesture. The gesture capture can bereceived by sensors in three-dimensional space. Further, the gesturecapture can occur in one or more areas of a screen, for example, on atouch-sensitive display or a gesture capture region. A gesture regioncan be on the display, where it may be referred to as a touch sensitivedisplay, or off the display, where it may be referred to as a gesturecapture area.

The terms “infotainment” and “infotainment system” may be usedinterchangeably and can refer to the hardware/software products, data,content, information, and/or systems, which can be built into or addedto vehicles to enhance driver and/or passenger experience. Infotainmentmay provide media and/or multimedia content. An example isinformation-based media content or programming that also includesentertainment content.

A “multi-screen application” refers to an application that is capable ofproducing one or more windows that may simultaneously occupy one or morescreens. A multi-screen application commonly can operate insingle-screen mode in which one or more windows of the application aredisplayed only on one screen or in multi-screen mode in which one ormore windows are displayed simultaneously on multiple screens.

A “single-screen application” refers to an application that is capableof producing one or more windows that may occupy only a single screen ata time.

The terms “online community,” “e-community,” or “virtual community” canmean a group of people that interact via a computer network, for social,professional, educational, and/or other purposes. The interaction canuse a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms,Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of electronicmedia. Many media formats may be used in social software separatelyand/or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums thatuse voice, video text or avatars.

The term “satellite positioning system receiver” can refer to a wirelessreceiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location signals fromand/or to a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as the GlobalPositioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioningsystem (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and RegionalNavigational Satellite System (India).

The term “social network service” may include a service provider thatbuilds online communities of people, who share interests and/oractivities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and/oractivities of others. Social network services can be network-based andmay provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail andinstant messaging services.

The term “social network” can refer to a network-based social network.

The term “screen,” “touch screen,” “touchscreen,” or “touch-sensitivedisplay” refers to a physical structure that enables the user tointeract with the computer by touching areas on the screen and providesinformation to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense usercontact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in anelectrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wavevariations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variationdetection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example,normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in thescreen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, thetwo layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change inelectrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted locationcalculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer storeselectrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with thetouch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer.The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinatesdetermined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave istransmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed byuser contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instanceand determines the contacted location coordinates.

The term “window” refers to a, typically rectangular, displayed image onat least part of a display that contains or provides content differentfrom the rest of the screen. The window may obscure the desktop. Thedimensions and orientation of the window may be configurable either byanother module or by a user. When the window is expanded, the window canoccupy substantially all of the display space on a screen or screens.

The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation, or technique.

It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall begiven its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C.,Section 112, Paragraph 6 or other applicable law. Accordingly, a claimincorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, oracts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, thestructures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall includeall those described in the summary of the invention, brief descriptionof the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

The terms “vehicle,” “car,” “automobile,” and variations thereof may beused interchangeably herein and can refer to a device or structure fortransporting animate and/or inanimate or tangible objects (e.g., personsand/or things), such as a self-propelled conveyance. A vehicle as usedherein can include any conveyance or model of a conveyance, where theconveyance was originally designed for the purpose of moving one or moretangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term“vehicle” does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable ofmovement. Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited tocars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railedconveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine conveyances,airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-powered conveyances, andthe like.

The term “profile,” as used herein, can refer to any data structure,data store, and/or database that includes one or more items ofinformation associated with a vehicle, a vehicle system, a device (e.g.,a mobile device, laptop, mobile phone, etc.), or a person.

The term “in communication with,” as used herein, refers to anycoupling, connection, or interaction using electrical signals toexchange information or data, using any system, hardware, software,protocol, or format, regardless of whether the exchange occurswirelessly or over a wired connection.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle operating environment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle control systemenvironment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle communicationssubsystem;

FIG. 5A is a first block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5B is a second block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5C is a third block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 6A depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a vehicle;

FIG. 6B depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a zone of avehicle;

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors for avehicle;

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors for avehicle;

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media subsystem for avehicle;

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user and deviceinteraction subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 8C is a block diagram of an embodiment of a Navigation subsystemfor a vehicle;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a communications subsystemfor a vehicle;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a software architecturefor the vehicle control system;

FIG. 11A is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11B is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11C is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11D is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11E is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11F is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11G is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11H is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11I is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11J is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11K is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 12A is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a user of a vehicle;

FIG. 12B is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a device associated with or in a vehicle;

FIG. 12C is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a system of a vehicle;

FIG. 12D is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a vehicle;

FIG. 13 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moresettings associated with a user;

FIG. 14 is a flow or process diagram of a method for establishing one ormore settings associated with a user;

FIG. 15 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moresettings associated with a user;

FIG. 16 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moregestures associated with a user;

FIG. 17 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to agesture performed by a user;

FIG. 18 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing health dataassociated with a user;

FIG. 19 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to agesture performed by a user;

FIG. 20 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle intruder alert detection andindication system;

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting and indicating avehicle intruder;

FIG. 22 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle damage detection andidentification system;

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting and identifyingvehicle damage;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle maintenance andwarranty compliance detection environment;

FIG. 25 is a flow diagram of a method for a vehicle maintenance andwarranty compliance detection;

FIG. 26 depicts an embodiment of a system for the automaticcommunication of damage and health in detected vehicle incidents;

FIG. 27 is a flow diagram of a method for the automatic communication ofdamage and health in detected vehicle incidents;

FIG. 28 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostic detection andcommunication system;

FIG. 29 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle diagnosticdetection and communication environment;

FIG. 30 is a flow diagram of a method for a vehicle diagnostic detectionand communication system;

FIG. 31 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostic detection throughsensitive vehicle skin system;

FIG. 32 is a flow diagram of a method for vehicle diagnostic detectionthrough sensitive vehicle skin;

FIG. 33 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostics and roadsideassistance system; and

FIG. 34 is a flow diagram of a method for vehicle diagnostics androadside assistance.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the second reference letter or label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Presented herein are embodiments of systems, devices, processes, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. The embodiments may relate to anautomobile and/or an automobile environment. The automobile environmentcan include systems associated with the automobile and devices or othersystems in communication with the automobile and/or automobile systems.Furthermore, the systems can relate to communications systems and/ordevices and may be capable of communicating with other devices and/or toan individual or group of individuals. Further, the systems can receiveuser input in unique ways. The overall design and functionality of thesystems provide for an enhanced user experience making the automobilemore useful and more efficient. As described herein, the automobilesystems may be electrical, mechanical, electro-mechanical,software-based, and/or combinations thereof.

A vehicle environment 100 that may contain a vehicle ecosystem is shownin FIG. 1. The vehicle environment 100 can contain areas associated witha vehicle or conveyance 104. The vehicle 104 is shown as a car but canbe any type of conveyance. The environment 100 can include at leastthree zones. A first zone 108 may be inside a vehicle 104. The zone 108includes any interior space, trunk space, engine compartment, or otherassociated space within or associated with the vehicle 104. The interiorzone 108 can be defined by one or more techniques, for example,geo-fencing.

A second zone 112 may be delineated by line 120. The zone 112 is createdby a range of one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Thus,the area 112 is exemplary of the range of those sensors and what can bedetected by those sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Althoughsensor range is shown as a fixed and continuous oval, the sensor rangemay be dynamic and/or discontinuous. For example, a ranging sensor(e.g., radar, lidar, ladar, etc.) may provide a variable range dependingon output power, signal characteristics, or environmental conditions(e.g., rain, fog, clear, etc.). The rest of the environment includes allspace beyond the range of the sensors and is represented by space 116.Thus, the environment 100 may have an area 116 that includes all areasbeyond the sensor range 112. The area 116 may include locations oftravel that the vehicle 104 may proceed to in the future.

An embodiment of a vehicle system 200 is shown in FIG. 2. The vehiclesystem 200 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct variousoperations for or with the vehicle 104. The operations can include, butare not limited to, providing information to the user 216, receivinginput from the user 216, and controlling the functions or operation ofthe vehicle 104, etc. The vehicle system 200 can include a vehiclecontrol system 204. The vehicle control system 204 can be any type ofcomputing system operable to conduct the operations as described herein.An example of a vehicle control system may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 3.

The vehicle control system 204 may interact with a memory or storagesystem 208 that stores system data. System data 208 may be any type ofdata needed for the vehicle control system 204 to control effectivelythe vehicle 104. The system data 208 can represent any type of databaseor other storage system. Thus, the system data 208 can be a flat filedata system, an object-oriented data system, or some other data systemthat may interface with the vehicle control system 204.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate with a device or userinterface 212, 248. The user interface 212, 248 may be operable toreceive user input either through touch input, on one or more userinterface buttons, via voice command, via one or more image sensors, orthrough a graphical user interface that may include a gesture captureregion, as described in conjunction with the other figures providedherein. Further, the symbol 212, 248 can represent a device that islocated or associated with the vehicle 104. The device 212, 248 can be amobile device, including, but not limited to, a mobile telephone, amobile computer, or other type of computing system or device that iseither permanently located in or temporarily associated with, but notnecessarily connected to, the vehicle 104. Thus, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can interface with the device 212, 248 and leverage thedevice's computing capability to provide one or more of the features orfunctions as described herein.

The device or user interface 212, 248 can receive input or provideinformation to a user 216. The user 216 may thus interact with thevehicle control system 204 through the interface or device 212, 248.Further, the device 212, 248 may include or have access to device data220 and/or profile data 252. The device data 220 can be any type of datathat is used in conjunction with the device 212, 248 including, but notlimited to, multimedia data, preferences data, device identificationinformation, or other types of data. The profile data 252 can be anytype of data associated with at least one user 216 including, but in noway limited to, bioinformatics, medical information, driving history,personal information (e.g., home physical address, business physicaladdress, contact addresses, likes, dislikes, hobbies, size, weight,occupation, business contacts—including physical and/or electronicaddresses, personal contacts—including physical and/or electronicaddresses, family members, and personal information related thereto,etc.), other user characteristics, advertising information, usersettings and feature preferences, travel information, associated vehiclepreferences, communication preferences, historical information (e.g.,including historical, current, and/or future travel destinations),Internet browsing history, or other types of data. In any event, thedata may be stored as device data 220 and/or profile data 252 in astorage system similar to that described in conjunction with FIGS. 12Athrough 12D.

As an example, the profile data 252 may include one or more userprofiles. User profiles may be generated based on data gathered from oneor more of vehicle preferences (e.g., seat settings, HVAC settings, dashconfigurations, and the like), recorded settings, geographic locationinformation (e.g., provided by a satellite positioning system (e.g.,GPS), Wi-Fi hotspot, cell tower data, etc.), mobile device information(such as mobile device electronic addresses, Internet browsing historyand content, application store selections, user settings and enabled anddisabled features, and the like), private information (such as userinformation from a social network, user presence information, userbusiness account, and the like), secure data, biometric information,audio information from on board microphones, video information from onboard cameras, Internet browsing history and browsed content using an onboard computer and/or the local area network enabled by the vehicle 104,geographic location information (e.g., a vendor storefront, roadwayname, city name, etc.), and the like.

The profile data 252 may include one or more user accounts. Useraccounts may include access and permissions to one or more settingsand/or feature preferences associated with the vehicle 104,communications, infotainment, content, etc. In one example, a useraccount may allow access to certain settings for a particular user,while another user account may deny access to the settings for anotheruser, and vice versa. The access controlled by the user account may bebased on at least one of a user account priority, role, permission, age,family status, a group priority (e.g., the user account priority of oneor more users, etc.), a group age (e.g., the average age of users in thegroup, a minimum age of the users in the group, a maximum age of theusers in the group, and/or combinations thereof, etc.).

For example, a user 216 may be allowed to purchase applications (e.g.,software, etc.) for the vehicle 104 and/or a device associated with thevehicle 104 based on information associated with the user account. Thisuser account information may include a preferred payment method,permissions, and/or other account information. As provided herein, theuser account information may be part of the user profile and/or otherdata stored in the profile data 252.

As another example, an adult user (e.g., a user with an age of 18 yearsold and/or over, etc.) may be located in an area of a vehicle 104, suchas a rear passenger area. Continuing this example a child user (e.g., auser with an age of 17 years old and/or less, etc.) may be located inthe same, or close, area. In this example, the user account informationin the profile data 252 associated with both the adult user and thechild user may be used by the vehicle 104 in determining whether contentis appropriate for the area given the age of the child user. Forinstance, a graphic movie containing violence (e.g., a movie associatedwith a mature rating, such as a Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA) rating of “R,” “NC-17,” etc.) may be suitable to present to adisplay device associated with the adult user but may not be acceptableto present to the display device if a 12-year old child user may seeand/or hear the content of the movie.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with or through acommunication network 224. The communication network 224 can representany type of wireless and/or wired communication system that may beincluded within the vehicle 104 or operable to communicate outside thevehicle 104. Thus, the communication network 224 can include a localarea communication capability and a wide area communication capability.For example, the communication network 224 can include a Bluetooth®wireless system, an 802.11x (e.g., 802.11G/802.11N/802.11AC, or thelike, wireless system), a CAN bus, an Ethernet network within thevehicle 104, or other types of communication networks that may functionwith or be associated with the vehicle 104. Further, the communicationnetwork 224 can also include wide area communication capabilities,including one or more of, but not limited to, a cellular communicationcapability, satellite telephone communication capability, a wirelesswide area network communication capability, or other types ofcommunication capabilities that allow for the vehicle control system 204to communicate outside the vehicle 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate through the communicationnetwork 224 to a server 228 that may be located in a facility that isnot within physical proximity to the vehicle 104. Thus, the server 228may represent a cloud computing system or cloud storage that allows thevehicle control system 204 to either gain access to further computingcapabilities or to storage at a location outside of the vehicle 104. Theserver 228 can include a computer processor and memory and be similar toany computing system as understood to one skilled in the art.

Further, the server 228 may be associated with stored data 232. Thestored data 232 may be stored in any system or by any method, asdescribed in conjunction with system data 208, device data 220, and/orprofile data 252. The stored data 232 can include information that maybe associated with one or more users 216 or associated with one or morevehicles 104. The stored data 232, being stored in a cloud or in adistant facility, may be exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used bya user 216 in different locations or with different vehicles 104.Additionally or alternatively, the server may be associated with profiledata 252 as provided herein. It is anticipated that the profile data 252may be accessed across the communication network 224 by one or morecomponents of the system 200. Similar to the stored data 232, theprofile data 252, being stored in a cloud or in a distant facility, maybe exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used by a user 216 indifferent locations or with different vehicles 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with one or moresensors 236, 242, which are either associated with the vehicle 104 orcommunicate with the vehicle 104. Vehicle sensors 242 may include one ormore sensors for providing information to the vehicle control system 204that determine or provide information about the environment 100 in whichthe vehicle 104 is operating. Embodiments of these sensors may be asdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B. Non-vehicle sensor 236 can beany type of sensor that is not currently associated with the vehicle104. For example, non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors in a trafficsystem operated by a third party that provides data to the vehiclecontrol system 204. Further, the non-vehicle sensor(s) 236 can be othertypes of sensors which provide information about the distant environment116 or other information about the vehicle 104 or the environment 100.These non-vehicle sensors 236 may be operated by third parties butprovide information to the vehicle control system 204. Examples ofinformation provided by the sensors 236 and that may be used by thevehicle control system 204 may include weather tracking data, trafficdata, user health tracking data, vehicle maintenance data, or othertypes of data, which may provide environmental or other data to thevehicle control system 204. The vehicle control system 204 may alsoperform signal processing of signals received from one or more sensors236, 242. Such signal processing may include estimation of a measuredparameter from a single sensor, such as multiple measurements of a rangestate parameter from the vehicle 104 to an obstacle, and/or theestimation, blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter frommultiple sensors such as multiple radar sensors or a combination of aladar/lidar range sensor and a radar sensor. Signal processing of suchsensor signal measurements may comprise stochastic signal processing,adaptive signal processing, and/or other signal processing techniquesknown to those skilled in the art.

The various sensors 236, 242 may include one or more sensor memory 244.Embodiments of the sensor memory 244 may be configured to store datacollected by the sensors 236, 242. For example, a temperature sensor maycollect temperature data associated with a vehicle 104, user 216, and/orenvironment, over time. The temperature data may be collectedincrementally, in response to a condition, or at specific time periods.In this example, as the temperature data is collected, it may be storedin the sensor memory 244. In some cases, the data may be stored alongwith an identification of the sensor and a collection time associatedwith the data. Among other things, this stored data may include multipledata points and may be used to track changes in sensor measurements overtime. As can be appreciated, the sensor memory 244 can represent anytype of database or other storage system.

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be configured to receiveand transmit diagnostic signals and information associated with thevehicle 104. Examples of diagnostics signals and information mayinclude, but is in no way limited to, vehicle system warnings, sensordata, vehicle component status, service information, component health,maintenance alerts, recall notifications, predictive analysis, and thelike. Embodiments of the diagnostic communications module 256 may handlewarning/error signals in a predetermined manner. The signals, forinstance, can be presented to one or more of a third party, occupant,vehicle control system 204, and a service provider (e.g., manufacturer,repair facility, etc.).

Optionally, the diagnostic communications module 256 may be utilized bya third party (i.e., a party other than the user 216, etc.) incommunicating vehicle diagnostic information. For instance, amanufacturer may send a signal to a vehicle 104 to determine a statusassociated with one or more components associated with the vehicle 104.In response to receiving the signal, the diagnostic communicationsmodule 256 may communicate with the vehicle control system 204 toinitiate a diagnostic status check. Once the diagnostic status check isperformed, the information may be sent via the diagnostic communicationsmodule 256 to the manufacturer. This example may be especially useful indetermining whether a component recall should be issued based on thestatus check responses returned from a certain number of vehicles.

Wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included. Thewired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included tosupport communications over wired networks or links, for example withother communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices.Examples of wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 includeEthernet ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interfaceports.

An embodiment of a vehicle control environment 300 including a vehiclecontrol system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 3. Beyond the vehicle controlsystem 204, the vehicle control environment 300 can include one or moreof, but is not limited to, a power source and/or power control module316, a data storage module 320, user interface(s)/input interface(s)324, vehicle subsystems 328, user interaction subsystems 332, GlobalPositioning System (GPS)/Navigation subsystems 336, sensor(s) and/orsensor subsystems 340, communication subsystems 344, media subsystems348, and/or device interaction subsystems 352. The subsystems, modules,components, etc. 316-352 may include hardware, software, firmware,computer readable media, displays, input devices, output devices, etc.or combinations thereof. The system, subsystems, modules, components,etc. 204, 316-352 may communicate over a network or bus 356. Thiscommunication bus 356 may be bidirectional and perform datacommunications using any known or future-developed standard or protocol.An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 4.

The vehicle control system 204 can include a processor 304, memory 308,and/or an input/output (I/O) module 312. Thus, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may be a computer system, which can comprise hardwareelements that may be electrically coupled. The hardware elements mayinclude one or more central processing units (CPUs) 304; one or morecomponents of the I/O module 312 including input devices (e.g., a mouse,a keyboard, etc.) and/or one or more output devices (e.g., a displaydevice, a printer, etc.).

The processor 304 may comprise a general purpose programmable processoror controller for executing application programming or instructions. Theprocessor 304 may, optionally, include multiple processor cores, and/orimplement multiple virtual processors. Additionally or alternatively,the processor 304 may include multiple physical processors. As aparticular example, the processor 304 may comprise a speciallyconfigured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or otherintegrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a controller, ahardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable logic device orgate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. The processor 304generally functions to run programming code or instructions implementingvarious functions of the vehicle control system 204.

The input/output module 312 and associated ports may be included tosupport communications over wired or wireless networks or links, forexample with other communication devices, server devices, and/orperipheral devices. Examples of an input/output module 312 include anEthernet port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface.

The vehicle control system 204 may also include one or more storagedevices 308. By way of example, storage devices 308 may be disk drives,optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as a randomaccess memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can beprogrammable, flash-updateable and/or the like. The vehicle controlsystem 204 may additionally include a computer-readable storage mediareader; a communications system (e.g., a modem, a network card (wirelessor wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory308, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. Thevehicle control system 204 may also include a processing accelerationunit, which can include a digital signal processor (DSP), aspecial-purpose processor, and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader can further be connected to acomputer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, incombination with storage device(s)) comprehensively representing remote,local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media fortemporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readableinformation. The communications system may permit data to be exchangedwith an external or internal network and/or any other computer or devicedescribed herein. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storagemedium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, includingread only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, corememory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flashmemory devices, and/or other machine readable mediums for storinginformation.

The vehicle control system 204 may also comprise software elementsincluding an operating system and/or other code, as described inconjunction with FIG. 10. It should be appreciated that alternates tothe vehicle control system 204 may have numerous variations from thatdescribed herein. For example, customized hardware might also be usedand/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

The power source and/or power control module 316 can include any type ofpower source, including, but not limited to, batteries, alternatingcurrent sources (from connections to a building power system or powerline), solar cell arrays, etc. One or more components or modules mayalso be included to control the power source or change thecharacteristics of the provided power signal. Such modules can includeone or more of, but is not limited to, power regulators, power filters,alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converters, DC to ACconverters, receptacles, wiring, other converters, etc. The power sourceand/or power control module 316 functions to provide the vehicle controlsystem 204 and any other system with power.

The data storage 320 can include any module for storing, retrieving,and/or managing data in one or more data stores and/or databases. Thedatabase or data stores may reside on a storage medium local to (and/orresident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle 104.Alternatively, some of the data storage capability may be remote fromthe vehicle control system 204 or automobile, and in communication(e.g., via a network) to the vehicle control system 204. The database ordata stores may reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar tothose skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performingthe functions attributed to the vehicle control system 204 may be storedlocally on the respective vehicle control system 204 and/or remotely, asappropriate. The databases or data stores may be a relational database,and the data storage module 320 may be adapted to store, update, andretrieve data in response to specifically-formatted commands. The datastorage module 320 may also perform data management functions for anyflat file, object oriented, or other type of database or data store.

A first data store that may be part of the vehicle control environment300 is a profile data store 252 for storing data about user profiles anddata associated with the users. A system data store 208 can include dataused by the vehicle control system 204 and/or one or more of thecomponents 324-352 to facilitate the functionality described herein. Thedata stores 208 and/or 252 may be as described in conjunction with FIG.1 and/or 12A-12D.

The user interface/input interfaces 324 may be as described herein forproviding information or data and/or for receiving input or data from auser. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 100. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc. These systems are well known in the art andwill not be described further.

Examples of the other systems and subsystems 324-352 may be as describedfurther herein. For example, the user interface(s)/input interface(s)324 may be as described in FIGS. 2 and 8B; the vehicle subsystems 328may be as described in FIG. 6a et. seq.; the user interaction subsystem332 may be as described in conjunction with the user/device interactionsubsystem 817 of FIG. 8B; the Navigation subsystem 336 may be asdescribed in FIGS. 6A and 8C; the sensor(s)/sensor subsystem 340 may beas described in FIGS. 7A and 7B; the communication subsystem 344 may beas described in FIGS. 2, 4, 5B, 5C, and 9; the media subsystem 348 maybe as described in FIG. 8A; and, the device interaction subsystem 352may be as described in FIG. 2 and in conjunction with the user/deviceinteraction subsystem 817 of FIG. 8B.

FIG. 4 illustrates an optional communications channel architecture 400and associated communications components. FIG. 4 illustrates some of theoptional components that can be interconnected via the communicationchannels/zones 404. Communication channels/zones 404 can carryinformation on one or more of a wired and/or wireless communicationslink with, in the illustrated example, there being three communicationschannels/zones, 408, 412, and 416.

This optional environment 400 can also include an IP router 420, anoperator cluster 424, one or more storage devices 428, one or moreblades, such as master blade 432, and computational blades 436 and 440.Additionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can interconnect oneor more displays, such as, remote display 1 444, remote display N 448,and console display 452. The communications channels/zones 404 alsointerconnect an access point 456, a Bluetooth® access point/USB hub 460,a Femtocell 464, a storage controller 468, that is connected to one ormore of USB devices 472, DVDs 476, or other storage devices 480. Toassist with managing communications within the communication channel,the environment 400 optionally includes a firewall 484 which will bediscussed hereinafter in greater detail. Other components that couldalso share the communications channel/zones 404 include GPS 488, mediacontroller 492, which is connected to one or more media sources 496, andone or more subsystems, such as subsystem switches 498.

Optionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can be viewed as anI/O network or bus where the communications channels are carried on thesame physical media. Optionally, the communication channels 404 can besplit amongst one or more physical media and/or combined with one ormore wireless communications protocols. Optionally, the communicationschannels 404 can be based on wireless protocols with no physical mediainterconnecting the various elements described herein.

The environment 400 shown in FIG. 4 can include a collection of bladeprocessors that are housed in a “crate.” The crate can have a PC-stylebackplane connector 408 and a backplane Ethernet 408 that allows thevarious blades to communicate with one another using, for example, anEthernet.

Various other functional elements illustrated in FIG. 4 can beintegrated into this crate architecture with, as discussed hereinafter,various zones utilized for security. Optionally, as illustrated in FIG.4, the backplane 404/408 can have two separate Ethernet zones that mayor may not be on the same communications channel. Optionally, the zonesexist on a single communications channel on the I/O network/bus 408.Optionally, the zones are actually on different communications channels,e.g., 412, 416; however, the implementation is not restricted to anyparticular type of configuration. Rather, as illustrated in FIG. 4,there can be a red zone 417 and a green zone 413, and the I/O backplaneon the network/bus 408 that enables standard I/O operations. Thisbackplane or I/O network/bus 408 also optionally can provide powerdistribution to the various modules and blades illustrated in FIG. 4.The red and green Ethernet zones, 417 and 413 respectively, can beimplemented as Ethernet switches, with one on each side of the firewall484. Two Ethernets (untrusted and trusted) are not connected inaccordance with an optional embodiment. Optionally, the connectorgeometry for the firewall can be different for the Ethernet zones thanfor the blades that are a part of the system.

The red zone 417 only needs to go from the modular connector to theinput side of the backplane connector of the firewall 484. While FIG. 4indicates that there are five external red zone connectors to thefirewall 484, provisions can be made for any number of ports with theconnections being made at the access point 456, the Bluetooth® accesspoint (combo controller) 460, Femtocell 464, storage controller 468,and/or firewall 484. Optionally, the external port connections can bemade through a manufacturer configurable modular connector panel, andone or more of the red zone Ethernet ports could be available through acustomer supplied crate which allows, for example, wired Ethernetconnections from a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to the firewall 484.

The green zone 413 goes from the output side of the firewall 484 andgenerally defines the trusted Ethernet. The Ethernet on the backplane408 essentially implements an Ethernet switch for the entire system,defining the Ethernet backbone of the vehicle 104. All other modules,e.g., blades, etc., can connect to a standard backplane bus and thetrusted Ethernet. Some number of switch ports can be reserved to connectto an output modular connector panel to distribute the Ethernetthroughout the vehicle 104, e.g., connecting such elements as theconsole display 452, remote displays 444, 448, GPS 488, etc. Optionally,only trusted components, either provided or approved by the manufacturerafter testing, can be attached to the green zone 413, which is bydefinition in the trusted Ethernet environment.

Optionally, the environment 400, shown in FIG. 4, utilizes IPv6 overEthernet connections wherever possible. Using, for example, the Broadcomsingle-twisted pair Ethernet technology, wiring harnesses are simplifiedand data transmission speeds are maximized. However, while the Broadcomsingle-twisted pair Ethernet technology can be used, in general, systemsand methods can work comparably well with any type of well-knownEthernet technology or other comparable communications technology.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 the I/O network/bus 408 is a split-bus conceptthat contains three independent bus structures:

The red zone 417—the untrusted Ethernet environment. This zone 417 maybe used to connect network devices and customer provided devices to thevehicle information system with these devices being on the untrustedside of the firewall 484.

The green zone 413—the trusted Ethernet environment, this zone 413 canbe used to connect manufacturer certified devices such as GPS units,remote displays, subsystem switches, and the like, to the vehiclenetwork 404. Manufacturer certified devices can be implemented byvendors that allow the vehicle software system to validate whether ornot a device is certified to operate with the vehicle 100. Optionally,only certified devices are allowed to connect to the trusted side of thenetwork.

The I/O bus 409—the I/O bus may be used to provide power and datatransmission to bus-based devices such as the vehicle solid state drive,the media controller blade 492, the computational blades 436, 440, andthe like.

As an example, the split-bus structure can have the following minimumconfiguration:

-   -   Two slots for the red zone Ethernet;    -   One slot for built-in LTE/WiMax access 420 from the car to other        network resources such as the cloud/Internet;    -   One slot for user devices or bring-your-own device access, this        slot can implement, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth®, and/or USB        connectivity 456, which can be provided in, for example, the        customer crate;    -   One slot for combined red zone and green zone Ethernet, this        slot can be reserved for the firewall controller;    -   Two slots for computational blades. Here the two computation        blades are illustratively as shown the optional master blade and        the multimedia blade or controller 492 which can be provided as        standard equipment; and    -   The expansion controller that allows the I/O bus to be extended        and provides additional Ethernet switch ports for one or more of        the red or green zones, which may require that the basic green        zone Ethernet switch implementation will support additional        ports beyond the initial three that are needed for the basic        exemplary system.

It should be possible to build 8 or 16 or more Ethernet switches thatallow for the expansion with existing component(s) in a straight-forwardmanner.

The red zone 417 can be implemented as an 8-port Ethernet switch thathas three actual bus ports within the crate with the remaining fiveports being available on the customer crate. The crate implements redzone slots for the firewall controller 484, the combo controller whichincludes WiFi, Bluetooth®, USB hub (456, 460) and the IP router 420.

The firewall controller 484 can have a dedicated slot that bridges thered zone 417, green zone 413, and uses the I/O bus for powerconnections. In accordance with an optional low cost implementation, thefirewall 484 can be implemented by a dummy module that simply bridgesthe red zone 417 and the green zone 413 without necessarily providingany firewall functionality. The combo controller 460 that includes theWiFi, Bluetooth®, and USB hub can be provided for consumer deviceconnections. This controller can also implement the IPv6 (un-routable)protocol to insure that all information is packetized for transmissionvia IP over the Ethernet in the I/O network/bus 408.

The combo controller 460 with the USB hub can have ports in the customercrate. The combo controller 460 can implement USB discovery functionsand packetizes the information for transmission via IP over Ethernet.The combo controller 460 can also facilitate installation of the correctUSB driver for the discovered device, such as a BYOD from the user. Thecombo controller 460 and USB hub can then map the USB address to a“local” IPv6 address for interaction with one or more of thecomputational blades which is generally going to be the media controller492.

The IP router 420 can implement Internet access through a manufacturerprovided service. This service can allow, for example, a manufacturer tooffer value-added services to be integrated into the vehicle informationsystems. The existence of the manufacturer provided Internet access canalso allow the “e-Call” function and other vehicle data recorderfunctions to be implemented. IP router 420 also allows, for example,WiMax, 4G LTE, and other connections to the Internet through a serviceprovider that can be, for example, contracted by the manufacturer.Internally, the IP router 420 can allow cellular handset connections tothe Internet through a Femtocell 464 that is part of the IP routerimplementation. The IP router 420, with the Femtocell 464, can alsoallow a cone of silence functionality to be implemented. The IP router420 can be an optional component for a vehicle provided by, for example,the manufacturer, a dealer, or installed by a user. In the absence ofthe IP router 420, it is possible to connect a consumer handheld deviceto the I/O network/bus 408 using, for example, either WiFi or Bluetooth®456, 460. While functionality may be somewhat reduced when using ahandheld device instead of a built-in Ethernet connection, systems andmethods of this invention can also work utilizing this consumer handhelddevice which then connects to the Internet via, for example, WiMax, 4G,4G LTE, or the like.

FIGS. 5A-5C show configurations of a vehicle 104. In general, a vehicle104 may provide functionality based at least partially on one or moreareas, zones, and distances, associated with the vehicle 104.Non-limiting examples of this functionality are provided herein below.

An arrangement or configuration for sensors within a vehicle 104 is asshown in FIG. 5A. The sensor arrangement 500 can include one or moreareas 508 within the vehicle. An area can be a larger part of theenvironment inside or outside of the vehicle 104. Thus, area one 508Amay include the area within the trunk space or engine space of thevehicle 104 and/or the front passenger compartment. Area two 508B mayinclude a portion of the interior space 108 (e.g., a passengercompartment, etc.) of the vehicle 104. The area N, 508N, may include thetrunk space or rear compartment area, when included within the vehicle104. The interior space 108 may also be divided into other areas. Thus,one area may be associated with the front passenger's and driver'sseats, a second area may be associated with the middle passengers'seats, and a third area may be associated with a rear passenger's seat.Each area 508 may include one or more sensors that are positioned oroperate to provide environmental information about that area 508.

Each area 508 may be further separated into one or more zones 512 withinthe area 508. For example, area 1 508A may be separated into zone A512A, and zone B 512B. Each zone 512 may be associated with a particularportion of the interior occupied by a passenger. For example, zone A512A may be associated with a driver. Zone B 512B, may be associatedwith a front passenger. Each zone 512 may include one or more sensorsthat are positioned or configured to collect information about theenvironment or ecosystem associated with that zone or person.

A passenger area 508B may include more than two zones as described inconjunction with area 508A. For example, area 508B may include threezones, 512C, 512D, and 512E. These three separate zones 512C, 512D, and512E may be associated with three passenger seats typically found in therear passenger area of a vehicle 104. An area 508N and may include asingle zone 512N as there may be no separate passenger areas but mayinclude a single trunk area within the vehicle 104. The number of zones512 is unlimited within the areas as the areas are also unlimited insidethe vehicle 104. Further, it should be noted that there may be one orareas 508 or zones 512 that may be located outside the vehicle 104 thatmay have a specific set of sensors associated therewith.

Optionally, each area/access point 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512,associated with a vehicle 104, may comprise one or more sensors todetermine a presence of a user 216 and/or device 212, 248 in and/oradjacent to each area 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512. The sensorsmay include vehicle sensors 242 and/or non-vehicle sensors 236 asdescribed herein. It is anticipated that the sensors may be configuredto communicate with a vehicle control system 204 and/or the diagnosticcommunications module 256. Additionally or alternatively, the sensorsmay communicate with a device 212, 248. The communication of sensorswith the vehicle 104 may initiate and/or terminate the control of device212, 248 features. For example, a vehicle operator may be located in asecond outside area 520 associated with a vehicle 104. As the operatorapproaches the first outside area 516, associated with the vehicle 104,the vehicle control system 204 may determine to control featuresassociated with one or more device 212, 248 and diagnosticcommunications module 256.

Optionally, the location of the device 212, 248 relative to the vehicle104 may determine vehicle functionality and/or features to be providedand/or restricted to a user 216. By way of example, a device 212, 248associated with a user 216 may be located at a second outside area 520from the vehicle 104. In this case, and based at least partially on thedistance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104 (e.g., provided bydetecting the device 212, 248 at or beyond the second outside area 520)the vehicle 104 may lock one or more features (e.g., ignition access,vehicle access, communications ability, etc.) associated with thevehicle 104. Optionally, the vehicle 104 may provide an alert based onthe distance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104. Continuing theexample above, once the device 212, 248 reaches the first outside area516 of the vehicle 104 at least one of the vehicle features may beunlocked. For instance, by reaching the first outside area 516, thevehicle 104 may unlock a door of the vehicle 104. In some cases, whenthe device is detected to be inside the vehicle 104, the various sensors236, 242 may determine that the user 216 is in an area 508 and/or zone512. As is further described herein, features of the vehicle 104, device212, 248, and/or other components may be controlled based on rulesstored in a memory.

FIG. 5B illustrates optional internal vehicle communications between oneor more of the vehicle and one or more devices or between devices.Various communications can occur utilizing one or more Bluetooth®, NFC,WiFi, mobile hot spot, point-to-point communications,point-to-multipoint other point communications, an ad hoc network, or ingeneral any known communications protocol over any known communicationsmedia or media-types.

Optionally, various types of internal vehicle communications can befacilitated using an access point 456 that utilizes one or more ofBluetooth®, NFC, WiFi, wireless Ethernet, mobile hot spot technology, orthe like. Upon being connected with, and optionally authenticated to theaccess point 456, the connected device is able to communicate with oneor more of the vehicle and one or more other devices that are connectedto the access point 456. The type of connection to the access point 456can be based on, for example, the zone 512, in which the device islocated.

The user may identify their zone 512 in conjunction with anauthentication procedure to the access point 456. For example, a driverin zone A 512A, upon authenticating to the access point 456, can causethe access point 456 to send a query to the device asking the deviceuser in which zone 512 they are located. As discussed hereinafter, thezone 512 the user device is located in may have an impact on the type ofcommunications, available bandwidth, the types of other devices orvehicle systems or subsystems the device could communicate with, and thelike. As a brief introduction, internal communications with zone A 512Amay be given preferential treatment over those communicationsoriginating from area 2 508B, which could have in itself, preferentialtreatment over communications originating within area N 508N.

Moreover, the device in zone A 512A can include profile information thatgoverns the other devices that are allowed to connect to the accesspoint 456 and what those devices have access to, how they cancommunicate, how much bandwidth they are allocated, and the like. While,optionally, the device associated with zone A 512A will be consideredthe “master” controller of the profile that governs the internal vehiclecommunications, it should be appreciated that this was arbitrarilychosen since it is assumed that there will always be a driver in a carthat is present in zone A 512A. However, it should be appreciated thedriver in zone A 512A, for example, may not have a communications devicein which case a device associated with one of the other areas or zones,such as zone B 512B, area 2 508B, or area N 508N could also beassociated with or control this master profile.

Optionally, various devices located within the various zones 512 canconnect using, for example, ports provided by access point 456 orBluetooth® access point/USB hub 460 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Similarly,the device(s) could connect utilizing the Femtocell 464 and optionallybe directly connected via, for example, a standard Ethernet port.

As discussed, each one of the areas, area 1 508A, area 2 508B, and areaN 508N, can each have associated therewith a profile that governs, forexample, how many and what types of devices can connect from that area508, bandwidth allocated to that area 508, the types of media or contentavailable to device(s) within that area 508, the interconnection ofdevices within that area 508 or between areas 508, or, in general, cancontrol any aspect of communication of an associated device with any oneor more other associated devices/vehicle systems within the vehicle 104.

Optionally, area 2 508B devices can be provided with full access tomultimedia and infotainment available within the vehicle 104, however,devices in area 2 508B may be restricted from any access to vehiclefunctions. Only devices in area 1 508A may be able to access vehiclecontrol functions such as when “parents” are located in area 1 508A andthe children are located in area 2 508B. Optionally, devices found inzone E 512E of area 2 508B may be able to access limited vehicle controlfunctionality such as climate control within area 2. Similarly, devicesin area N 508N may be able to control climate features within zone N512N.

As will be appreciated, profiles can be established that allowmanagement of communications within each of the areas 508, and furtheroptionally within each of the zones 512. The profile can be granular innature controlling not only what type of devices can connect within eachzone 512, but how those devices can communicate with other devicesand/or the vehicle and types of information that can be communicated.

To assist with identifying a location of a device within a zone 512, anumber of different techniques can be utilized. One optional techniqueinvolves one or more of the vehicle sensors detecting the presence of anindividual within one of the zones 512. Upon detection of an individualin a zone 512, communications subsystems 344 and the access point 456can cooperate to not only associate the device within the zone 512 withthe access point 456 but to also determine the location of the devicewithin an area, and optionally within a zone 512. Once the device isestablished within a zone 512, a profile associated with the vehicle 104can store information identifying that device and/or a person andoptionally associating it with a particular zone 512 as a default. Asdiscussed, there can be a master profile optionally associated with thedevice in zone A 512A, this master profile can govern communicationswith the communications subsystems 340 and where communications withinvehicle 104 are to occur.

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Master Profilegoverns other device connectivity:

Master Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to No Access Master Infotainment Profile acts as Firewall andRouter All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Climate ControlSecondary Profile (e.g., device in Zone B 512B, Area 1 508A)

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to Allow Access to Master Infotainment Infotainment Profile actsas Firewall and Router All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2Climate Control Climate Control

Secondary Profile, Option 2

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to Allow Access to Infotainment, Infotainment Internet AllVehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2 Except Driver- ClimateControl Climate Control centric Controls

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Area/Zone governsdevice connectivity:

Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other No Communications Allow Accessto with Area 1 Devices Infotainment, Allow Access to Other Area 2 orZone N Devices, Internet No Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 ClimateControl

Area N 508N Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Communications Allow Access towith Area 1, Zone B Infotainment, Allow Device Access to Other Area N orZone N Devices No Vehicle Controls Allow Area N Climate Control

Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Media Sharing with AllowAccess to Area 1, Zone B and Infotainment, Allow Vehicle Access to OtherArea 2 or Zone N Devices, Internet and Femtocell No Vehicle Controls

Optionally, a user's device, such as a SmartPhone, can store in, forexample a profile, with which zone 512 the user's device is associated.Then, assuming the user sits in the same zone 512 and area 508 aspreviously, the user's device can re-establish the same communicationsprotocols with the access point 456 as were previously established.

In addition or in the alternative, the areas 508 and zones 512 can haveassociated therewith restrictions as to which one or more other user'sdevices with which users' devices can connect. For example, a firstuser's device can connect with any other user device in area 2 508B orarea N 508N, however is restricted from connecting with a user device inarea 1 508A, zone A 512A. However, the first user device may be able tocommunicate with another user's device that is located in area 1 508A,zone B 512B. These communications can include any type of standardcommunications such as sharing content, exchanging messages, forwardingor sharing multimedia or infotainment, or in general can include anycommunications that would ordinarily be available between two devicesand/or the vehicle and vehicle systems. As discussed, there may berestrictions on the type of communications that can be sent to thedevice in area 1 508A, zone A 512A. For example, the user's device inarea 1 508A, zone A 512A may be restricted from receiving one or more oftext messages, multimedia, infotainment, or in general anything that canbe envisioned as a potential distraction to the driver. Moreover, itshould be appreciated that the communications between the variousdevices and the various zones 512 need not necessarily occur with theassistance of access point 456, but the communications could also occurdirectly between the device(s).

FIG. 5C outlines optional internal vehicle communications between one ormore of the vehicle and one or more devices. More specifically, FIG. 5Cillustrates an example of vehicle communications where the vehicle 104is equipped with the necessary transceivers to provide a mobile hot spotfunctionality to any user device(s) therein, such as user devices 248Aand 248N.

Optionally, and as discussed above, one or more user devices can connectto the access point 456. This access point 456 is equipped to handlecommunications routing to not only the communication network/buses 224for intra-vehicle communications, but optionally can also communicatewith, for example, the Internet or the cloud, in cooperation withtransceiver 260. Optionally included is a firewall 484 that has thecapability of not only blocking certain types of content, such as amalicious content, but can also operate to exclude certain type ofcommunications from emanating from the vehicle 104 and transceiver 260.As will be appreciated, various profiles could be established in thefirewall 484 that controls not only the type of communications that canbe received at the vehicle 104, but the type of communications that canbe sent from the vehicle 104.

The transceiver 260 can be any type of well-known wireless transceiverthat communicates using a known communications protocol such as WiMax,4G, 4G LTE, 3G, or the like. The user devices can communicate via, forexample, WiFi link 248 with the access point 456, with the transceiver260 providing Internet connectivity to the various user devices. As willbe appreciated, there may need to be an account associated withtransceiver 260 with a wireless carrier to provide data and/or voiceconnectivity to enable the user devices to communicate with theInternet. Typically, the account is established on a month-to-monthbasis with an associated fee but could also be performed based on theamount of data to be transmitted, received, or in any other manner.

Moreover, one or more of the user's devices and access point 456 canmaintain profile information that governs how the user's devices areable to communicate with other devices, and optionally the Internet.Optionally, a profile can exist that only allows the user's devices tocommunicate with other user's devices and/or the vehicle, multimediaand/or the vehicle infotainment system, and may not be allowed access tothe Internet via transceiver 260. The profile can stipulate that theuser's device could connect to the Internet via transceiver 260 for aspecified period of time and/or up to a certain amount of data usage.The user's device can have full access to the Internet via transceiver260 with no limit on time or data usage which would reduce the datausage of the user's device since it is connected via WiFi to the accesspoint 456, but however, would increase the data usage by transceiver260, and therefore, shift the billing for that data usage to thetransceiver 260 instead of the user's device. Still further, and aspreviously discussed, the various profiles may stipulate which user'sdevice has priority for use of the bandwidth provided by the transceiver260. For example, a user's device located area 1 508A, zone A 512A maybe given preferential routing treatment of data above that of a user'sdevice in zone N 512N. In this manner, for example, a driver would begiven priority for Internet access above that of the passengers. Thiscould become important, for example, when the driver is trying to obtaintraffic or direction information or, for example, when the vehicle isperforming a download to update various software features.

As will be appreciated, the optional firewall 484 can cooperate with theaccess point 456 and the various profiles that area 508 associated withthe various devices within the vehicle 104 and can fully implementcommunications restrictions, control bandwidth limits, Internetaccessibility, malicious software blocking, and the like. Moreover, theoptional firewall 484 can be accessed by an administrator with one ormore of these configuration settings edited through an administrator'scontrol panel. For example, in a scenario where parents are always inarea 1 508A, it may be appropriate to give all of the user's devices inarea 1 508A full access to the Internet utilizing transceiver 260,however, while restricting access and/or bandwidth to any other userdevices within the vehicle 104. As the user's device and profile wouldbe known by the firewall 484, upon the user's device being associatedwith the access point 456, the firewall 484 and transceiver 260 can beconfigured to allow communications in accordance with the storedprofile.

A set of sensors or vehicle components 600 associated with the vehicle104 may be as shown in FIG. 6A. The vehicle 104 can include, among manyother components common to vehicles, wheels 607, a power source 609(such as an engine, motor, or energy storage system (e.g., battery orcapacitive energy storage system)), a manual or automatic transmission612, a manual or automatic transmission gear controller 616, a powercontroller 620 (such as a throttle), a vehicle control system 204, thedisplay device 212, a braking system 636, a steering wheel 640, a powersource activation/deactivation switch 644 (e.g., an ignition), anoccupant seating system 648, a wireless signal receiver 653 to receivewireless signals from signal sources such as roadside beacons and otherelectronic roadside devices, and a satellite positioning system receiver657 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia),Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), andRegional Navigational Satellite System (India) receiver), driverlesssystems (e.g., cruise control systems, automatic steering systems,automatic braking systems, etc.).

The vehicle 104 can include a number of sensors in wireless or wiredcommunication with the vehicle control system 204 and/or display device212, 248 to collect sensed information regarding the vehicle state,configuration, and/or operation. Exemplary sensors may include one ormore of, but are not limited to, wheel state sensor 660 to sense one ormore of vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, wheel rotation, wheelspeed (e.g., wheel revolutions-per-minute), wheel slip, and the like, apower source energy output sensor 664 to sense a power output of thepower source 609 by measuring one or more of current engine speed (e.g.,revolutions-per-minute), energy input and/or output (e.g., voltage,current, fuel consumption, and torque) (e.g., turbine speed sensor,input speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, manifold absolutepressure sensor, mass flow sensor, and the like), and the like, a switchstate sensor 668 to determine a current activation or deactivation stateof the power source activation/deactivation switch 644, a transmissionsetting sensor 670 to determine a current setting of the transmission(e.g., gear selection or setting), a gear controller sensor 672 todetermine a current setting of the gear controller 616, a powercontroller sensor 674 to determine a current setting of the powercontroller 620, a brake sensor 676 to determine a current state (brakingor non-braking) of the braking system 636, a seating system sensor 678to determine a seat setting and current weight of seated occupant, ifany) in a selected seat of the seating system 648, exterior and interiorsound receivers 690 and 692 (e.g., a microphone, sonar, and other typeof acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor) to receive and convertsound waves into an equivalent analog or digital signal. Examples ofother sensors (not shown) that may be employed include safety systemstate sensors to determine a current state of a vehicular safety system(e.g., air bag setting (deployed or undeployed) and/or seat belt setting(engaged or not engaged)), light setting sensor (e.g., currentheadlight, emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light,interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on oroff)), brake control (e.g., pedal) setting sensor, accelerator pedalsetting or angle sensor, clutch pedal setting sensor, emergency brakepedal setting sensor, door setting (e.g., open, closed, locked orunlocked) sensor, engine temperature sensor, passenger compartment orcabin temperature sensor, window setting (open or closed) sensor, one ormore interior-facing or exterior-facing cameras or other imaging sensors(which commonly convert an optical image into an electronic signal butmay include other devices for detection objects such as anelectromagnetic radiation emitter/receiver that emits electromagneticradiation and receives electromagnetic waves reflected by the object) tosense objects, such as other vehicles and pedestrians and optionallydetermine the distance, trajectory and speed of such objects, in thevicinity or path of the vehicle, odometer reading sensor, trip mileagereading sensor, wind speed sensor, radar transmitter/receiver output,brake wear sensor, steering/torque sensor, oxygen sensor, ambientlighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor, parking sensor,heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensor, water sensor,air-fuel ratio meter, blind spot monitor, hall effect sensor,microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, infrared (IR) sensor, vehiclecontrol system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi and/orBluetooth® sensor), cellular data sensor, and other sensors eitherfuture-developed or known to those of skill in the vehicle art.

In the depicted vehicle embodiment, the various sensors can be incommunication with the display device 212, 248 and vehicle controlsystem 204 via signal carrier network 224. As noted, the signal carriernetwork 224 can be a network of signal conductors, a wireless network(e.g., a radio frequency, microwave, or infrared communication systemusing a communications protocol, such as Wi-Fi), or a combinationthereof. The vehicle control system 204 may also provide signalprocessing of one or more sensors, sensor fusion of similar and/ordissimilar sensors, signal smoothing in the case of erroneous “wildpoint” signals, and/or sensor fault detection. For example, rangingmeasurements provided by one or more RF sensors may be combined withranging measurements from one or more IR sensors to determine one fusedestimate of vehicle range to an obstacle target.

The control system 204 may receive and read sensor signals, such aswheel and engine speed signals, as a digital input comprising, forexample, a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal. The processor 304 can beconfigured, for example, to read each of the signals into a portconfigured as a counter or configured to generate an interrupt onreceipt of a pulse, such that the processor 304 can determine, forexample, the engine speed in revolutions per minute (RPM) and the speedof the vehicle in miles per hour (MPH) and/or kilometers per hour (KPH).One skilled in the art will recognize that the two signals can bereceived from existing sensors in a vehicle comprising a tachometer anda speedometer, respectively. Alternatively, the current engine speed andvehicle speed can be received in a communication packet as numericvalues from a conventional dashboard subsystem comprising a tachometerand a speedometer. The transmission speed sensor signal can be similarlyreceived as a digital input comprising a signal coupled to a counter orinterrupt signal of the processor 304 or received as a value in acommunication packet on a network or port interface from an existingsubsystem of the vehicle 104. The ignition sensor signal can beconfigured as a digital input, wherein a HIGH value represents that theignition is on and a LOW value represents that the ignition is OFF.Three bits of the port interface can be configured as a digital input toreceive the gear shift position signal, representing eight possible gearshift positions. Alternatively, the gear shift position signal can bereceived in a communication packet as a numeric value on the portinterface. The throttle position signal can be received as an analoginput value, typically in the range 0-5 volts. Alternatively, thethrottle position signal can be received in a communication packet as anumeric value on the port interface. The output of other sensors can beprocessed in a similar fashion.

Other sensors may be included and positioned in the interior space 108of the vehicle 104. Generally, these interior sensors obtain data aboutthe health of the driver and/or passenger(s), data about the safety ofthe driver and/or passenger(s), and/or data about the comfort of thedriver and/or passenger(s). The health data sensors can include sensorsin the steering wheel that can measure various health telemetry for theperson (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, blood presence,blood composition, etc.). Sensors in the seats may also provide forhealth telemetry (e.g., presence of liquid, weight, weight shifts,etc.). Infrared sensors could detect a person's temperature; opticalsensors can determine a person's position and whether the person hasbecome unconscious. Other health sensors are possible and includedherein.

Safety sensors can measure whether the person is acting safely. Opticalsensors can determine a person's position and focus. If the person stopslooking at the road ahead, the optical sensor can detect the lack offocus. Sensors in the seats may detect if a person is leaning forward ormay be injured by a seat belt in a collision. Other sensors can detectthat the driver has at least one hand on a steering wheel. Other safetysensors are possible and contemplated as if included herein.

Comfort sensors can collect information about a person's comfort.Temperature sensors may detect a temperature of the interior cabin.Moisture sensors can determine a relative humidity. Audio sensors candetect loud sounds or other distractions. Audio sensors may also receiveinput from a person through voice data. Other comfort sensors arepossible and contemplated as if included herein.

FIG. 6B shows an interior sensor configuration for one or more zones 512of a vehicle 104 optionally. Optionally, the areas 508 and/or zones 512of a vehicle 104 may include sensors that are configured to collectinformation associated with the interior 108 of a vehicle 104. Inparticular, the various sensors may collect environmental information,user information, and safety information, to name a few. Embodiments ofthese sensors may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 7A-8B.

Optionally, the sensors may include one or more of optical, or image,sensors 622A-B (e.g., cameras, etc.), motion sensors 624A-B (e.g.,utilizing RF, IR, and/or other sound/image sensing, etc.), steeringwheel user sensors 642 (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure,sweat, health, etc.), seat sensors 677 (e.g., weight, load cell,moisture, electrical, force transducer, etc.), safety restraint sensors679 (e.g., seatbelt, airbag, load cell, force transducer, etc.),interior sound receivers 692A-B, environmental sensors 694 (e.g.,temperature, humidity, air, oxygen, etc.), and the like.

The image sensors 622A-B may be used alone or in combination to identifyobjects, users 216, and/or other features, inside the vehicle 104.Optionally, a first image sensor 622A may be located in a differentposition within a vehicle 104 from a second image sensor 622B. When usedin combination, the image sensors 622A-B may combine captured images toform, among other things, stereo and/or three-dimensional (3D) images.The stereo images can be recorded and/or used to determine depthassociated with objects and/or users 216 in a vehicle 104. Optionally,the image sensors 622A-B used in combination may determine the complexgeometry associated with identifying characteristics of a user 216. Forinstance, the image sensors 622A-B may be used to determine dimensionsbetween various features of a user's face (e.g., the depth/distance froma user's nose to a user's cheeks, a linear distance between the centerof a user's eyes, and more). These dimensions may be used to verify,record, and even modify characteristics that serve to identify a user216. As can be appreciated, utilizing stereo images can allow for a user216 to provide complex gestures in a 3D space of the vehicle 104. Thesegestures may be interpreted via one or more of the subsystems asdisclosed herein. Optionally, the image sensors 622A-B may be used todetermine movement associated with objects and/or users 216 within thevehicle 104. It should be appreciated that the number of image sensorsused in a vehicle 104 may be increased to provide greater dimensionalaccuracy and/or views of a detected image in the vehicle 104.

The vehicle 104 may include one or more motion sensors 624A-B. Thesemotion sensors 624A-B may detect motion and/or movement of objectsinside the vehicle 104. Optionally, the motion sensors 624A-B may beused alone or in combination to detect movement. For example, a user 216may be operating a vehicle 104 (e.g., while driving, etc.) when apassenger in the rear of the vehicle 104 unbuckles a safety belt andproceeds to move about the vehicle 104. In this example, the movement ofthe passenger could be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B.Optionally, the user 216 could be alerted of this movement by one ormore of the devices 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. In another example, apassenger may attempt to reach for one of the vehicle control features(e.g., the steering wheel 640, the console, icons displayed on the headunit and/or device 212, 248, etc.). In this case, the movement (i.e.,reaching) of the passenger may be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B.Optionally, the path, trajectory, anticipated path, and/or some otherdirection of movement/motion may be determined using the motion sensors624A-B. In response to detecting the movement and/or the directionassociated with the movement, the passenger may be prevented frominterfacing with and/or accessing at least some of the vehicle controlfeatures (e.g., the features represented by icons may be hidden from auser interface, the features may be locked from use by the passenger,combinations thereof, etc.). As can be appreciated, the user 216 may bealerted of the movement/motion such that the user 216 can act to preventthe passenger from interfering with the vehicle 104 controls.Optionally, the number of motion sensors in a vehicle 104, or areas of avehicle 104, may be increased to increase an accuracy associated withmotion detected in the vehicle 104.

The interior sound receivers 692A-B may include, but are not limited to,microphones and other types of acoustic-to-electric transducers orsensors. Optionally, the interior sound receivers 692A-B may beconfigured to receive and convert sound waves into an equivalent analogor digital signal. The interior sound receivers 692A-B may serve todetermine one or more locations associated with various sounds in thevehicle 104. The location of the sounds may be determined based on acomparison of volume levels, intensity, and the like, between soundsdetected by two or more interior sound receivers 692A-B. For instance, afirst interior sound receiver 692A may be located in a first area of thevehicle 104 and a second interior sound receiver 692B may be located ina second area of the vehicle 104. If a sound is detected at a firstvolume level by the first interior sound receiver 692A and a second,higher, volume level by the second interior sound receiver 692B in thesecond area of the vehicle 104, the sound may be determined to be closerto the second area of the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the numberof sound receivers used in a vehicle 104 may be increased (e.g., morethan two, etc.) to increase measurement accuracy surrounding sounddetection and location, or source, of the sound (e.g., viatriangulation, etc.).

Seat sensors 677 may be included in the vehicle 104. The seat sensors677 may be associated with each seat and/or zone 512 in the vehicle 104.Optionally, the seat sensors 677 may provide health telemetry and/oridentification via one or more of load cells, force transducers, weightsensors, moisture detection sensor, electrical conductivity/resistancesensor, and the like. For example, the seat sensors 677 may determinethat a user 216 weighs 180 lbs. This value may be compared to user datastored in memory to determine whether a match exists between thedetected weight and a user 216 associated with the vehicle 104. Inanother example, if the seat sensors 677 detect that a user 216 isfidgeting, or moving, in a seemingly uncontrollable manner, the systemmay determine that the user 216 has suffered a nervous and/or muscularsystem issue (e.g., seizure, etc.). The vehicle control system 204 maythen cause the vehicle 104 to slow down and in addition or alternativelythe automobile controller 8104 (described below) can safely take controlof the vehicle 104 and bring the vehicle 104 to a stop in a safelocation (e.g., out of traffic, off a freeway, etc).

Health telemetry and other data may be collected via the steering wheeluser sensors 642. Optionally, the steering wheel user sensors 642 maycollect heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and the like,associated with a user 216 via at least one contact disposed on or aboutthe steering wheel 640.

The safety restraint sensors 679 may be employed to determine a stateassociated with one or more safety restraint devices in a vehicle 104.The state associated with one or more safety restraint devices may serveto indicate a force observed at the safety restraint device, a state ofactivity (e.g., retracted, extended, various ranges of extension and/orretraction, deployment, buckled, unbuckled, etc.), damage to the safetyrestraint device, and more.

Environmental sensors 694, including one or more of temperature,humidity, air, oxygen, carbon monoxide, smoke, and other environmentalcondition sensors may be used in a vehicle 104. These environmentalsensors 694 may be used to collect data relating to the safety, comfort,and/or condition of the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. Amongother things, the data collected by the environmental sensors 694 may beused by the vehicle control system 204 to alter functions of a vehicle.The environment may correspond to an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104and/or specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. It shouldbe appreciate that an environment may correspond to a user 216. Forexample, a low oxygen environment may be detected by the environmentalsensors 694 and associated with a user 216 who is operating the vehicle104 in a particular zone 512. In response to detecting the low oxygenenvironment, at least one of the subsystems of the vehicle 104, asprovided herein, may alter the environment, especially in the particularzone 512, to increase the amount of oxygen in the zone 512. Additionallyor alternatively, the environmental sensors 694 may be used to reportconditions associated with a vehicle (e.g., fire detected, low oxygen,low humidity, high carbon monoxide, etc.). The conditions may bereported to a user 216 and/or a third party via at least onecommunications module as provided herein.

Among other things, the sensors as disclosed herein may communicate witheach other, with devices 212, 248, and/or with the vehicle controlsystem 204 via the signal carrier network 224. Additionally oralternatively, the sensors disclosed herein may serve to provide datarelevant to more than one category of sensor information including, butnot limited to, combinations of environmental information, userinformation, and safety information to name a few.

FIGS. 7A-7B show block diagrams of various sensors that may beassociated with a vehicle 104. Although depicted as interior andexterior sensors, it should be appreciated that any of the one or moreof the sensors shown may be used in both the interior space 108 and theexterior space of the vehicle 104. Moreover, sensors having the samesymbol or name may include the same, or substantially the same,functionality as those sensors described elsewhere in the presentdisclosure. Further, although the various sensors are depicted inconjunction with specific groups (e.g., environmental 708, 708E, userinterface 712, safety 716, 716E, etc.) the sensors should not be limitedto the groups in which they appear. In other words, the sensors may beassociated with other groups or combinations of groups and/ordisassociated from one or more of the groups shown. The sensors asdisclosed herein may communicate with each other, the devices 212, 248,and/or the vehicle control system 204 via one or more communicationschannel(s) 356.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors 340 fora vehicle 104 is provided. The interior sensors 340 may be arranged intoone or more groups, based at least partially on the function of theinterior sensors 340. The interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 mayinclude an environmental group 708, a user interface group 712, and asafety group 716. Additionally or alternatively, there may be sensorsassociated with various devices inside the vehicle (e.g., devices 212,248, smart phones, tablets, mobile computers, etc.)

The environmental group 708 may comprise sensors configured to collectdata relating to the internal environment of a vehicle 104. It isanticipated that the environment of the vehicle 104 may be subdividedinto areas 508 and zones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104.In this case, each area 508 and/or zone 512 may include one or more ofthe environmental sensors. Examples of environmental sensors associatedwith the environmental group 708 may include, but are not limited to,oxygen/air sensors 724, temperature sensors 728, humidity sensors 732,light/photo sensors 736, and more. The oxygen/air sensors 724 may beconfigured to detect a quality of the air in the interior space 108 ofthe vehicle 104 (e.g., ratios and/or types of gasses comprising the airinside the vehicle 104, dangerous gas levels, safe gas levels, etc.).Temperature sensors 728 may be configured to detect temperature readingsof one or more objects, users 216, and/or areas 508 of a vehicle 104.Humidity sensors 732 may detect an amount of water vapor present in theair inside the vehicle 104. The light/photo sensors 736 can detect anamount of light present in the vehicle 104. Further, the light/photosensors 736 may be configured to detect various levels of lightintensity associated with light in the vehicle 104.

The user interface group 712 may comprise sensors configured to collectdata relating to one or more users 216 in a vehicle 104. As can beappreciated, the user interface group 712 may include sensors that areconfigured to collect data from users 216 in one or more areas 508 andzones 512 of the vehicle 104. For example, each area 508 and/or zone 512of the vehicle 104 may include one or more of the sensors in the userinterface group 712. Examples of user interface sensors associated withthe user interface group 712 may include, but are not limited to,infrared sensors 740, motion sensors 744, weight sensors 748, wirelessnetwork sensors 752, biometric sensors 756, camera (or image) sensors760, audio sensors 764, and more.

Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measure IR light irradiating from atleast one surface, user 216, or other object in the vehicle 104. Amongother things, the Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measuretemperatures, form images (especially in low light conditions), identifyusers 216, and even detect motion in the vehicle 104.

The motion sensors 744 may be similar to the motion detectors 624A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Weight sensors 748 may beemployed to collect data relating to objects and/or users 216 in variousareas 508 of the vehicle 104. In some cases, the weight sensors 748 maybe included in the seats and/or floor of a vehicle 104.

Optionally, the vehicle 104 may include a wireless network sensor 752.This sensor 752 may be configured to detect one or more wirelessnetwork(s) inside the vehicle 104. Examples of wireless networks mayinclude, but are not limited to, wireless communications utilizingBluetooth®, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11, and other wireless technologystandards. For example, a mobile hotspot may be detected inside thevehicle 104 via the wireless network sensor 752. In this case, thevehicle 104 may determine to utilize and/or share the mobile hotspotdetected via/with one or more other devices 212, 248 and/or componentsassociated with the vehicle 104.

Biometric sensors 756 may be employed to identify and/or recordcharacteristics associated with a user 216. It is anticipated thatbiometric sensors 756 can include at least one of image sensors, IRsensors, fingerprint readers, weight sensors, load cells, forcetransducers, heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, and the likeas provided herein.

The camera sensors 760 may be similar to image sensors 622A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Optionally, the camera sensorsmay record still images, video, and/or combinations thereof. The audiosensors 764 may be similar to the interior sound receivers 692A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. The audio sensors may beconfigured to receive audio input from a user 216 of the vehicle 104.The audio input from a user 216 may correspond to voice commands,conversations detected in the vehicle 104, phone calls made in thevehicle 104, and/or other audible expressions made in the vehicle 104.

The safety group 716 may comprise sensors configured to collect datarelating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or more components of avehicle 104. The vehicle 104 may be subdivided into areas 508 and/orzones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 where each area 508and/or zone 512 may include one or more of the safety sensors providedherein. Examples of safety sensors associated with the safety group 716may include, but are not limited to, force sensors 768, mechanicalmotion sensors 772, orientation sensors 776, restraint sensors 780, andmore.

The force sensors 768 may include one or more sensors inside the vehicle104 configured to detect a force observed in the vehicle 104. Oneexample of a force sensor 768 may include a force transducer thatconverts measured forces (e.g., force, weight, pressure, etc.) intooutput signals.

Mechanical motion sensors 772 may correspond to encoders,accelerometers, damped masses, and the like. Optionally, the mechanicalmotion sensors 772 may be adapted to measure the force of gravity (i.e.,G-force) as observed inside the vehicle 104. Measuring the G-forceobserved inside a vehicle 104 can provide valuable information relatedto a vehicle's acceleration, deceleration, collisions, and/or forcesthat may have been suffered by one or more users 216 in the vehicle 104.As can be appreciated, the mechanical motion sensors 772 can be locatedin an interior space 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

Orientation sensors 776 can include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magneticsensors, and the like that are configured to detect an orientationassociated with the vehicle 104. Similar to the mechanical motionsensors 772, the orientation sensors 776 can be located in an interiorspace 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

The restraint sensors 780 may be similar to the safety restraint sensors679 as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. These sensors 780 maycorrespond to sensors associated with one or more restraint devicesand/or systems in a vehicle 104. Seatbelts and airbags are examples ofrestraint devices and/or systems. As can be appreciated, the restraintdevices and/or systems may be associated with one or more sensors thatare configured to detect a state of the device/system. The state mayinclude extension, engagement, retraction, disengagement, deployment,and/or other electrical or mechanical conditions associated with thedevice/system.

The associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that areassociated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previouslystated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets,laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that thevarious sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employedby the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phonecan include, an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more. Itis an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of theseassociated device sensors 720 may be used by one or more subsystems ofthe vehicle system 200.

In FIG. 7B, a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors 340 fora vehicle 104 is shown. The exterior sensors may include sensors thatare identical, or substantially similar, to those previously disclosedin conjunction with the interior sensors of FIG. 7A. Optionally, theexterior sensors 340 may be configured to collect data relating to oneor more conditions, objects, users 216, and other events that areexternal to the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. For instance, theoxygen/air sensors 724 may measure a quality and/or composition of theair outside of a vehicle 104. As another example, the motion sensors 744may detect motion outside of a vehicle 104.

The external environmental group 708E may comprise sensors configured tocollect data relating to the external environment of a vehicle 104. Inaddition to including one or more of the sensors previously described,the external environmental group 708E may include additional sensors,such as, vehicle sensors 750, biological sensors, and wireless signalsensors 758. Vehicle sensors 750 can detect vehicles that are in anenvironment surrounding the vehicle 104. For example, the vehiclesensors 750 may detect vehicles in a first outside area 516, a secondoutside area 520, and/or combinations of the first and second outsideareas 516, 520. Optionally, the vehicle sensors 750 may include one ormore of RF sensors, IR sensors, image sensors, and the like to detectvehicles, people, hazards, etc. that are in an environment exterior tothe vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle sensors 750can provide distance/directional information relating to a distance(e.g., distance from the vehicle 104 to the detected object) and/or adirection (e.g., direction of travel, etc.) associated with the detectedobject.

The biological sensors 754 may determine whether one or more biologicalentities (e.g., an animal, a person, a user 216, etc.) is in an externalenvironment of the vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, thebiological sensors 754 may provide distance information relating to adistance of the biological entity from the vehicle 104. Biologicalsensors 754 may include at least one of RF sensors, IR sensors, imagesensors and the like that are configured to detect biological entities.For example, an IR sensor may be used to determine that an object, orbiological entity, has a specific temperature, temperature pattern, orheat signature. Continuing this example, a comparison of the determinedheat signature may be compared to known heat signatures associated withrecognized biological entities (e.g., based on shape, locations oftemperature, and combinations thereof, etc.) to determine whether theheat signature is associated with a biological entity or an inanimate,or non-biological, object.

The wireless signal sensors 758 may include one or more sensorsconfigured to receive wireless signals from signal sources such asWi-Fi™ hotspots, cell towers, roadside beacons, other electronicroadside devices, and satellite positioning systems. Optionally, thewireless signal sensors 758 may detect wireless signals from one or moreof a mobile phone, mobile computer, keyless entry device, RFID device,near field communications (NFC) device, and the like.

The external safety group 716E may comprise sensors configured tocollect data relating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or morecomponents of a vehicle 104. Examples of safety sensors associated withthe external safety group 716E may include, but are not limited to,force sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors776, vehicle body sensors 782, and more. Optionally, the exterior safetysensors 716E may be configured to collect data relating to one or moreconditions, objects, vehicle components, and other events that areexternal to the vehicle 104. For instance, the force sensors 768 in theexternal safety group 716E may detect and/or record force informationassociated with the outside of a vehicle 104. For instance, if an objectstrikes the exterior of the vehicle 104, the force sensors 768 from theexterior safety group 716E may determine a magnitude, location, and/ortime associated with the strike.

The vehicle 104 may include a number of vehicle body sensors 782. Thevehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measure characteristicsassociated with the body (e.g., body panels, components, chassis,windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, two vehicle body sensors782, including a first body sensor and a second body sensor, may belocated at some distance apart. Continuing this example, the first bodysensor may be configured to send an electrical signal across the body ofthe vehicle 104 to the second body sensor, or vice versa. Upon receivingthe electrical signal from the first body sensor, the second body sensormay record a detected current, voltage, resistance, and/or combinationsthereof associated with the received electrical signal. Values (e.g.,current, voltage, resistance, etc.) for the sent and received electricalsignal may be stored in a memory. These values can be compared todetermine whether subsequent electrical signals sent and receivedbetween vehicle body sensors 782 deviate from the stored values. Whenthe subsequent signal values deviate from the stored values, thedifference may serve to indicate damage and/or loss of a body component.Additionally or alternatively, the deviation may indicate a problem withthe vehicle body sensors 782. The vehicle body sensors 782 maycommunicate with each other, a vehicle control system 204, and/orsystems of the vehicle system 200 via a communications channel 356.Although described using electrical signals, it should be appreciatedthat alternative embodiments of the vehicle body sensors 782 may usesound waves and/or light to perform a similar function.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media controllersubsystem 348 for a vehicle 104. The media controller subsystem 348 mayinclude, but is not limited to, a media controller 804, a mediaprocessor 808, a match engine 812, an audio processor 816, a speechsynthesis module 820, a network transceiver 824, a signal processingmodule 828, memory 832, and a language database 836. Optionally, themedia controller subsystem 348 may be configured as a dedicated bladethat implements the media-related functionality of the system 200.Additionally or alternatively, the media controller subsystem 348 canprovide voice input, voice output, library functions for multimedia, anddisplay control for various areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle104.

Optionally, the media controller subsystem 348 may include a local IPaddress (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, combinations thereof, etc.) and even aroutable, global unicast address. The routable, global unicast addressmay allow for direct addressing of the media controller subsystem 348for streaming data from Internet resources (e.g., cloud storage, useraccounts, etc.). It is anticipated, that the media controller subsystem348 can provide multimedia via at least one Internet connection, orwireless network communications module, associated with the vehicle 104.Moreover, the media controller subsystem 348 may be configured toservice multiple independent clients simultaneously.

The media processor 808 may comprise a general purpose programmableprocessor or controller for executing application programming orinstructions related to the media subsystem 348. The media processor 808may include multiple processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtualprocessors. Optionally, the media processor 808 may include multiplephysical processors. By way of example, the media processor 808 maycomprise a specially configured application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, acontroller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmablelogic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. Themedia processor 808 generally functions to run programming code orinstructions implementing various functions of the media controller 804.

The match engine 812 can receive input from one or more components ofthe vehicle system 800 and perform matching functions. Optionally, thematch engine 812 may receive audio input provided via a microphone 886of the system 800. The audio input may be provided to the mediacontroller subsystem 348 where the audio input can be decoded andmatched, via the match engine 812, to one or more functions available tothe vehicle 104. Similar matching operations may be performed by thematch engine 812 relating to video input received via one or more imagesensors, cameras 878, and the like.

The media controller subsystem 348 may include a speech synthesis module820 configured to provide audio output to one or more speakers 880, oraudio output devices, associated with the vehicle 104. Optionally, thespeech synthesis module 820 may be configured to provide audio outputbased at least partially on the matching functions performed by thematch engine 812.

As can be appreciated, the coding/decoding, the analysis of audioinput/output, and/or other operations associated with the match engine812 and speech synthesis module 820, may be performed by the mediaprocessor 808 and/or a dedicated audio processor 816. The audioprocessor 816 may comprise a general purpose programmable processor orcontroller for executing application programming or instructions relatedto audio processing. Further, the audio processor 816 may be similar tothe media processor 808 described herein.

The network transceiver 824 can include any device configured totransmit and receive analog and/or digital signals. Optionally, themedia controller subsystem 348 may utilize a network transceiver 824 inone or more communication networks associated with the vehicle 104 toreceive and transmit signals via the communications channel 356.Additionally or alternatively, the network transceiver 824 may acceptrequests from one or more devices 212, 248 to access the mediacontroller subsystem 348. One example of the communication network is alocal-area network (LAN). As can be appreciated, the functionalityassociated with the network transceiver 824 may be built into at leastone other component of the vehicle 104 (e.g., a network interface card,communications module, etc.).

The signal processing module 828 may be configured to alteraudio/multimedia signals received from one or more input sources (e.g.,microphones 886, etc.) via the communications channel 356. Among otherthings, the signal processing module 828 may alter the signals receivedelectrically, mathematically, combinations thereof, and the like.

The media controller 804 may also include memory 832 for use inconnection with the execution of application programming or instructionsby the media processor 808, and for the temporary or long term storageof program instructions and/or data. As examples, the memory 832 maycomprise RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or other solid state memory.

The language database 836 may include the data and/or libraries for oneor more languages, as are used to provide the language functionality asprovided herein. In one case, the language database 836 may be loaded onthe media controller 804 at the point of manufacture. Optionally, thelanguage database 836 can be modified, updated, and/or otherwise changedto alter the data stored therein. For instance, additional languages maybe supported by adding the language data to the language database 836.In some cases, this addition of languages can be performed via accessingadministrative functions on the media controller 804 and loading the newlanguage modules via wired (e.g., USB, etc.) or wireless communication.In some cases, the administrative functions may be available via avehicle console device 248, a user device 212, 248, and/or other mobilecomputing device that is authorized to access administrative functions(e.g., based at least partially on the device's address, identification,etc.).

One or more video controllers 840 may be provided for controlling thevideo operation of the devices 212, 248, 882 associated with thevehicle. Optionally, the video controller 840 may include a displaycontroller for controlling the operation of touch sensitive screens,including input (touch sensing) and output (display) functions. Videodata may include data received in a stream and unpacked by a processorand loaded into a display buffer. In this example, the processor andvideo controller 840 can optimize the display based on thecharacteristics of a screen of a display device 212, 248, 882. Thefunctions of a touch screen controller may be incorporated into othercomponents, such as a media processor 808 or display subsystem.

The audio controller 844 can provide control of the audio entertainmentsystem (e.g., radio, subscription music service, multimediaentertainment, etc.), and other audio associated with the vehicle 104(e.g., navigation systems, vehicle comfort systems, convenience systems,etc.). Optionally, the audio controller 844 may be configured totranslate digital signals to analog signals and vice versa. As can beappreciated, the audio controller 844 may include device drivers thatallow the audio controller 844 to communicate with other components ofthe system 800 (e.g., processors 816, 808, audio I/O 874, and the like).

The system 800 may include a profile identification module 848 todetermine whether a user profile is associated with the vehicle 104.Among other things, the profile identification module 848 may receiverequests from a user 216, or device 212, 228, 248, to access a profilestored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. Additionally oralternatively, the profile identification module 848 may request profileinformation from a user 216 and/or a device 212, 228, 248, to access aprofile stored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. In anyevent, the profile identification module 848 may be configured tocreate, modify, retrieve, and/or store user profiles in the profiledatabase 856 and/or profile data 252. The profile identification module848 may include rules for profile identification, profile informationretrieval, creation, modification, and/or control of components in thesystem 800.

By way of example, a user 216 may enter the vehicle 104 with a smartphone or other device 212. In response to determining that a user 216 isinside the vehicle 104, the profile identification module 848 maydetermine that a user profile is associated with the user's smart phone212. As another example, the system 800 may receive information about auser 216 (e.g., from a camera 878, microphone 886, etc.), and, inresponse to receiving the user information, the profile identificationmodule 848 may refer to the profile database 856 to determine whetherthe user information matches a user profile stored in the database 856.It is anticipated that the profile identification module 848 maycommunicate with the other components of the system to load one or morepreferences, settings, and/or conditions based on the user profile.Further, the profile identification module 848 may be configured tocontrol components of the system 800 based on user profile information.

Optionally, data storage 852 may be provided. Like the memory 832, thedata storage 852 may comprise a solid state memory device or devices.Alternatively or in addition, the data storage 852 may comprise a harddisk drive or other random access memory. Similar to the data storage852, the profile database 856 may comprise a solid state memory deviceor devices.

An input/output module 860 and associated ports may be included tosupport communications over wired networks or links, for example withother communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices.Examples of an input/output module 860 include an Ethernet port, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port, CAN Bus, Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface. Users may bringtheir own devices (e.g., Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), device 212, etc.)into the vehicle 104 for use with the various systems disclosed.Although most BYOD devices can connect to the vehicle systems (e.g., themedia controller subsystem 348, etc.) via wireless communicationsprotocols (e.g., Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth®, etc.) many devices may require adirect connection via USB, or similar. In any event, the input/outputmodule 860 can provide the necessary connection of one or more devicesto the vehicle systems described herein.

A video input/output interface 864 can be included to receive andtransmit video signals between the various components in the system 800.Optionally, the video input/output interface 864 can operate withcompressed and uncompressed video signals. The video input/outputinterface 864 can support high data rates associated with image capturedevices. Additionally or alternatively, the video input/output interface864 may convert analog video signals to digital signals.

The infotainment system 870 may include information media content and/orentertainment content, informational devices, entertainment devices, andthe associated programming therefor. Optionally, the infotainment system870 may be configured to handle the control of one or more components ofthe system 800 including, but in no way limited to, radio, streamingaudio/video devices, audio devices 880, 882, 886, video devices 878,882, travel devices (e.g., GPS, navigational systems, etc.), wirelesscommunication devices, network devices, and the like. Further, theinfotainment system 870 can provide the functionality associated withother infotainment features as provided herein.

An audio input/output interface 874 can be included to provide analogaudio to an interconnected speaker 880 or other device, and to receiveanalog audio input from a connected microphone 886 or other device. Asan example, the audio input/output interface 874 may comprise anassociated amplifier and analog to digital converter. Alternatively orin addition, the devices 212, 248 can include integrated audioinput/output devices 880, 886 and/or an audio jack for interconnectingan external speaker 880 or microphone 886. For example, an integratedspeaker 880 and an integrated microphone 886 can be provided, to supportnear talk, voice commands, spoken information exchange, and/or speakerphone operations.

Among other things, the system 800 may include devices that are part ofthe vehicle 104 and/or part of a device 212, 248 that is associated withthe vehicle 104. For instance, these devices may be configured tocapture images, display images, capture sound, and present sound.Optionally, the system 800 may include at least one of imagesensors/cameras 878, display devices 882, audio inputdevices/microphones 886, and audio output devices/speakers 880. Thecameras 878 can be included for capturing still and/or video images.Alternatively or in addition, image sensors 878 can include a scanner orcode reader. An image sensor/camera 878 can include or be associatedwith additional elements, such as a flash or other light source. In somecases, the display device 882 may include an audio input device and/oran audio output device in addition to providing video functions. Forinstance, the display device 882 may be a console, monitor, a tabletcomputing device, and/or some other mobile computing device.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user/device interactionsubsystem 817 in a vehicle system 800. The user/device interactionsubsystem 817 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct variousoperations for or with the vehicle 104. For instance, the user/deviceinteraction subsystem 817 may include at least one user interactionsubsystem 332 and device interaction subsystem 352 as previouslydescribed. These operations may include, but are not limited to,providing information to the user 216, receiving input from the user216, and controlling the functions or operation of the vehicle 104, etc.Among other things, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 mayinclude a computing system operable to conduct the operations asdescribed herein.

Optionally, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one ormore of the components and modules provided herein. For instance, theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one or more of a videoinput/output interface 864, an audio input/output interface 874, asensor module 814, a device interaction module 818, a useridentification module 822, a vehicle control module 826, anenvironmental control module 830, and a gesture control module 834. Theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 may be in communication with otherdevices, modules, and components of the system 800 via thecommunications channel 356.

The user/device interaction subsystem 817 may be configured to receiveinput from a user 216 and/or device via one or more components of thesystem. By way of example, a user 216 may provide input to theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 via wearable devices 802, 806,810, video input (e.g., via at least one image sensor/camera 878, etc.)audio input (e.g., via the microphone, audio input source, etc.),gestures (e.g., via at least one image sensor 878, motion sensor 888,etc.), device input (e.g., via a device 212, 248 associated with theuser, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

The wearable devices 802, 806, 810 can include heart rate monitors,blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors, pedometers, movement sensors,wearable computers, and the like. Examples of wearable computers may beworn by a user 216 and configured to measure user activity, determineenergy spent based on the measured activity, track user sleep habits,determine user oxygen levels, monitor heart rate, provide alarmfunctions, and more. It is anticipated that the wearable devices 802,806, 810 can communicate with the user/device interaction subsystem 817via wireless communications channels or direct connection (e.g., wherethe device docks, or connects, with a USB port or similar interface ofthe vehicle 104).

A sensor module 814 may be configured to receive and/or interpret inputprovided by one or more sensors in the vehicle 104. In some cases, thesensors may be associated with one or more user devices (e.g., wearabledevices 802, 806, 810, smart phones 212, mobile computing devices 212,248, and the like). Optionally, the sensors may be associated with thevehicle 104, as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B.

The device interaction module 818 may communicate with the variousdevices as provided herein. Optionally, the device interaction module818 can provide content, information, data, and/or media associated withthe various subsystems of the vehicle system 800 to one or more devices212, 248, 802, 806, 810, 882, etc. Additionally or alternatively, thedevice interaction module 818 may receive content, information, data,and/or media associated with the various devices provided herein.

The user identification module 822 may be configured to identify a user216 associated with the vehicle 104. The identification may be based onuser profile information that is stored in profile data 252. Forinstance, the user identification module 822 may receive characteristicinformation about a user 216 via a device, a camera, and/or some otherinput. The received characteristics may be compared to data stored inthe profile data 252. Where the characteristics match, the user 216 isidentified. As can be appreciated, where the characteristics do notmatch a user profile, the user identification module 822 may communicatewith other subsystems in the vehicle 104 to obtain and/or record profileinformation about the user 216. This information may be stored in amemory and/or the profile data storage 252.

The vehicle control module 826 may be configured to control settings,features, and/or the functionality of a vehicle 104. In some cases, thevehicle control module 826 can communicate with the vehicle controlsystem 204 to control critical functions (e.g., driving system controls,braking, accelerating, etc.) and/or noncritical functions (e.g., drivingsignals, indicator/hazard lights), mirror controls, window actuation,etc.) based at least partially on user/device input received by theuser/device interaction subsystem 817.

The environmental control module 830 may be configured to controlsettings, features, and/or other conditions associated with theenvironment, especially the interior environment, of a vehicle 104.Optionally, the environmental control module 830 may communicate withthe climate control system (e.g. changing cabin temperatures, fanspeeds, air direction, etc.), oxygen and/or air quality control system(e.g., increase/decrease oxygen in the environment, etc.), interiorlighting (e.g., changing intensity of lighting, color of lighting,etc.), an occupant seating system 648 (e.g., adjusting seat position,firmness, height, etc.), steering wheel 640 (e.g., position adjustment,etc.), infotainment/entertainment system (e.g., adjust volume levels,display intensity adjustment, change content, etc.), and/or othersystems associated with the vehicle environment. Additionally oralternatively, these systems can provide input, set-points, and/orresponses, to the environmental control module 830. As can beappreciated, the environmental control module 830 may control theenvironment based at least partially on user/device input received bythe user/device interaction subsystem 817.

The gesture control module 834 is configured to interpret gesturesprovided by a user 216 in the vehicle 104. Optionally, the gesturecontrol module 834 may provide control signals to one or more of thevehicle systems 300 disclosed herein. For example, a user 216 mayprovide gestures to control the environment, critical and/or noncriticalvehicle functions, the infotainment system, communications, networking,and more. Optionally, gestures may be provided by a user 216 anddetected via one or more of the sensors as described in conjunction withFIGS. 6B-7A. As another example, one or more motion sensors 888 mayreceive gesture input from a user 216 and provide the gesture input tothe gesture control module 834. Continuing this example, the gestureinput is interpreted by the gesture control module 834. Thisinterpretation may include comparing the gesture input to gesturesstored in a memory. The gestures stored in memory may include one ormore functions and/or controls mapped to specific gestures. When a matchis determined between the detected gesture input and the stored gestureinformation, the gesture control module 834 can provide a control signalto any of the systems/subsystems as disclosed herein.

FIG. 8C illustrates a GPS/Navigation subsystem(s) 336. The Navigationsubsystem(s) 336 can be any present or future-built navigation systemthat may use location data, for example, from the Global PositioningSystem (GPS), to provide navigation information or control the vehicle104. The Navigation subsystem(s) 336 can include several components ormodules, such as, one or more of, but not limited to, a GPSAntenna/receiver 892, a location module 896, a maps database 8100, anautomobile controller 8104, a vehicle systems transceiver 8108, atraffic controller 8112, a network traffic transceiver 8116, avehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120, a traffic information database8124, etc. Generally, the several components or modules 892-8124 may behardware, software, firmware, computer readable media, or combinationsthereof.

A GPS Antenna/receiver 892 can be any antenna, GPS puck, and/or receivercapable of receiving signals from a GPS satellite or other navigationsystem, as mentioned hereinbefore. The signals may be demodulated,converted, interpreted, etc. by the GPS Antenna/receiver 892 andprovided to the location module 896. Thus, the GPS Antenna/receiver 892may convert the time signals from the GPS system and provide a location(e.g., coordinates on a map) to the location module 896. Alternatively,the location module 896 can interpret the time signals into coordinatesor other location information.

The location module 896 can be the controller of the satellitenavigation system designed for use in automobiles. The location module896 can acquire position data, as from the GPS Antenna/receiver 892, tolocate the user or vehicle 104 on a road in the unit's map database8100. Using the road database 8100, the location module 896 can givedirections to other locations along roads also in the database 8100.When a GPS signal is not available, the location module 896 may applydead reckoning to estimate distance data from sensors 242 including oneor more of, but not limited to, a speed sensor attached to the drivetrain of the vehicle 104, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, etc. GPS signalloss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons, tunnels, and otherobstructions. Additionally or alternatively, the location module 896 mayuse known locations of Wi-Fi hotspots, cell tower data, etc. todetermine the position of the vehicle 104, such as by using timedifference of arrival (TDOA) and/or frequency difference of arrival(FDOA) techniques.

The maps database 8100 can include any hardware and/or software to storeinformation about maps, geographical information system information,location information, etc. The maps database 8100 can include any datadefinition or other structure to store the information. Generally, themaps database 8100 can include a road database that may include one ormore vector maps of areas of interest. Street names, street numbers,house numbers, and other information can be encoded as geographiccoordinates so that the user can find some desired destination by streetaddress. Points of interest (waypoints) can also be stored with theirgeographic coordinates. For example, a point of interest may includespeed cameras, fuel stations, public parking, and “parked here” (or “youparked here”) information. The map database contents can be produced orupdated by a server connected through a wireless system in communicationwith the Internet, even as the vehicle 104 is driven along existingstreets, yielding an up-to-date map.

An automobile controller 8104 can be any hardware and/or software thatcan receive instructions from the location module 896 or the trafficcontroller 8112 and operate the vehicle 104. The automobile controller8104 receives this information and data from the sensors 242 to operatethe vehicle 104 without driver input. Thus, the automobile controller8104 can drive the vehicle 104 along a route provided by the locationmodule 896. The route may be adjusted by information sent from thetraffic controller 8112. Discrete and real-time driving can occur withdata from the sensors 242. To operate the vehicle 104, the automobilecontroller 8104 can communicate with a vehicle systems transceiver 8108.

The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can be any present orfuture-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or areceiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or asingle housing. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may communicate orinstruct one or more of the vehicle control subsystems 328. For example,the vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may send steering commands, asreceived from the automobile controller 8104, to an electronic steeringsystem, to adjust the steering of the vehicle 100 in real time. Theautomobile controller 8104 can determine the effect of the commandsbased on received sensor data 242 and can adjust the commands as needbe. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can also communicate with thebraking system, the engine and drive train to speed or slow the car, thesignals (e.g., turn signals and brake lights), the headlights, thewindshield wipers, etc. Any of these communications may occur over thecomponents or function as described in conjunction with FIG. 4.

A traffic controller 8112 can be any hardware and/or software that cancommunicate with an automated traffic system and adjust the function ofthe vehicle 104 based on instructions from the automated traffic system.An automated traffic system is a system that manages the traffic in agiven area. This automated traffic system can instruct cars to drive incertain lanes, instruct cars to raise or lower their speed, instruct acar to change their route of travel, instruct cars to communicate withother cars, etc. To perform these functions, the traffic controller 8112may register the vehicle 104 with the automated traffic system and thenprovide other information including the route of travel. The automatedtraffic system can return registration information and any requiredinstructions. The communications between the automated traffic systemand the traffic controller 8112 may be received and sent through anetwork traffic transceiver 8116.

The network traffic transceiver 8116 can be any present orfuture-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or areceiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or asingle housing. The network traffic transceiver 8116 may communicatewith the automated traffic system using any known or future-developed,protocol, standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc. The network traffictransceiver 8116 enables the sending of information between the trafficcontroller 8112 and the automated traffic system.

The traffic controller 8112 can also communicate with another vehicle,which may be in physical proximity (i.e., within range of a wirelesssignal), using the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120. As with thenetwork traffic transceiver 8116, the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver8120 can be any present or future-developed device that can comprise atransmitter and/or a receiver, which may be combined and can sharecommon circuitry or a single housing. Generally, the vehicle-to-vehicletransceiver 8120 enables communication between the vehicle 104 and anyother vehicle. These communications allow the vehicle 104 to receivetraffic or safety information, control or be controlled by anothervehicle, establish an alternative communication path to communicate withthe automated traffic system, establish a node including two or morevehicle that can function as a unit, etc. The vehicle-to-vehicletransceiver 8120 may communicate with the other vehicles using any knownor future-developed, protocol standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc.

The traffic controller 8112 can control functions of the automobilecontroller 8104 and communicate with the location module 896. Thelocation module 896 can provide current location information and routeinformation that the traffic controller 8112 may then provide to theautomated traffic system. The traffic controller 8112 may receive routeadjustments from the automated traffic system that are then sent to thelocation module 896 to change the route. Further, the traffic controller8112 can also send driving instructions to the automobile controller8104 to change the driving characteristics of the vehicle 104. Forexample, the traffic controller 8112 can instruct the automobilecontroller 8104 to accelerate or decelerate to a different speed, changelanes, or perform another driving maneuver. The traffic controller 8112can also manage vehicle-to-vehicle communications and store informationabout the communications or other information in the traffic informationdatabase 8124.

The traffic information database 8124 can be any type of database, suchas relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Thetraffic information database 8124 may reside on a storage medium localto (and/or resident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle104. The traffic information database 8124 may be adapted to store,update, and retrieve information about communications with othervehicles or any active instructions from the automated traffic system.This information may be used by the traffic controller 8112 to instructor adjust the performance of driving maneuvers.

FIG. 9 illustrates an optional communications architecture where, thehost device 908 may include one more routing profiles, permissionmodules, and rules that control how communications within the vehicle104 are to occur. This communications architecture can be used inconjunction with the routing tables, rules and permissions associatedwith access point 456 and optional firewall 484, or can be in lieuthereof. For example, the host device 908 acts as a mobile hot spot toone or more other devices within vehicle 104, such as, other device 1912, other device 2 916, other device 3 920, and other device N 924.Optionally, one or more of the other devices 912 can communicatedirectly with the host device 908 which then provides Internet access tothose devices 912 via the device 908. The host device 908 can act as amobile hot spot for any one or more of the other devices 912, which maynot need to communicate over the network/communications buses 224/404,but could instead connect directly to the host device 908 via, forexample, NFC, Bluetooth®, WiFi, or the like. When the device 908 isacting as the host device, the device 908 can include one or morerouting profiles, permissions, rules modules, and can also act as afirewall for the various inter and intra vehicle communications.

As will be appreciated, there could be alternative host devices, suchas, host 904 which could also act as, for example, a co-host inassociation with device 908. Optionally, one or more of the routingprofile, permission information, and rules could be shared between theco-host devices 904, 908, both of those devices being usable forInternet access for one or more of the other devices, 912-924. As willbe appreciated, the other devices 912-924 need not necessarily connectto one or more of host device 908 and the other device 904 via a directcommunications link, but could also interface with those devices 904,908 utilizing the network/communications buses 224/404 associated withthe vehicle 100. As previously discussed, one or more of the otherdevices can connect to the network/communications buses 224/404utilizing the various networks and/or buses discussed herein which wouldtherefore enable, for example, regulation of the various communicationsbased on the Ethernet zone that the other device 912 is associated with.

An embodiment of one or more modules that may be associated with thevehicle control system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 10. The modules caninclude a communication subsystem interface 1008 in communication withan operating system 1004. The communications may pass through a firewall1044. The firewall 1044 can be any software that can control theincoming and outgoing communications by analyzing the data packets anddetermining whether the packets should be allowed through the firewall,based on applied rule set. A firewall 1044 can establish a “barrier”between a trusted, secure internal network and another network (e.g.,the Internet) that is not assumed to be secure and trusted.

In some situations, the firewall 1044 may establish security zones thatare implemented by running system services and/or applications inrestricted user groups and accounts. A set of configuration files andcallbacks may then be linked to an IP table firewall. The IP tablefirewall can be configured to notify a custom filter application at anyof the layers of the Ethernet packet. The different users/group rightsto access the system may include: system users, which may have exclusiveright over all device firewall rules and running software; a big-brotheruser, which may have access to on board device (OBD) control data andmay be able to communicate with the vehicle subsystem 328 and may beable to alter the parameters in the vehicle control system 204; a dealeruser, which can have rights to read OBD data for diagnostics andrepairs; a dashboard user, which can have rights to launch dashboardapplications and/or authenticate guest users and change theirpermissions to trusted/friend/family, and can read but cannot write intoOBD diagnostic data; a world wide web (WWW) data user, which can haveHTTP rights to respond to HTTP requests (the HTTP requests also cantarget different user data, but may be filtered by default useraccounts); a guest user, which may have no rights; a family/friend user,which may have rights to play media from the media subsystem 348 and/orto stream media to the media subsystem 348.

The operating system 1004 can be a collection of software that managescomputer hardware resources and provides common services forapplications and other programs. The operating system 1004 may scheduletime-sharing for efficient use of the system. For hardware functions,such as input, output, and memory allocation, the operating system 1004can act as an intermediary between applications or programs and thecomputer hardware. Examples of operating systems that may be deployed asoperating system 1004 include Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, OS X, QNX,Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, IBM z/OS, etc.

The operating system 1004 can include one or more sub-modules. Forexample, a desktop manager 1012 can manage one or more graphical userinterfaces (GUI) in a desktop environment. Desktop GUIs can help theuser to easily access and edit files. A command-line interface (CLI) maybe used if full control over the operating system (OS) 1004 is required.The desktop manager 1012 is described further hereinafter.

A kernel 1028 can be a computer program that manages input/outputrequests from software and translates them into data processinginstructions for the processor 304 and other components of the vehiclecontrol system 204. The kernel 1028 is the fundamental component of theoperating system 1004 that can execute many of the functions associatedwith the OS 1004.

The kernel 1028 can include other software functions, including, but notlimited to, driver(s) 1056, communication software 1052, and/or InternetProtocol software 1048. A driver 1056 can be any computer program thatoperates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to avehicle control system 204. A driver 1056 can communicate with thedevice through the bus 356 or communications subsystem 1008 to which thehardware connects. When a calling program invokes a routine in thedriver 1056, the driver 1056 may issue one or more commands to thedevice. Once the device sends data back to the driver 1056, the driver1056 may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers can behardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. Driver(s) 1056 canprovide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronoustime-dependent hardware interface.

The IP module 1048 can conduct any IP addressing, which may include theassignment of IP addresses and associated parameters to host interfaces.The address space may include networks and sub-networks. The IP module1048 can perform the designation of network or routing prefixes and mayconduct IP routing, which transports packets across network boundaries.Thus, the IP module 1048 may perform all functions required for IPmulticast operations.

The communications module 1052 may conduct all functions forcommunicating over other systems or using other protocols not servicedby the IP module 1048. Thus, the communications module 1052 can managemulticast operations over other busses or networks not serviced by theIP module 1048. Further, the communications module 1052 may perform ormanage communications to one or more devices, systems, data stores,services, etc. that are in communication with the vehicle control system204 or other subsystems through the firewall 1044. Thus, thecommunications module 1052 can conduct communications through thecommunication subsystem interface 1008.

A file system 1016 may be any data handling software that can controlhow data is stored and retrieved. The file system 1016 can separate thestored data into individual pieces, and giving each piece a name, caneasily separate and identify the pieces of data. Each piece of data maybe considered a “file”. The file system 1016 can construct datastructure and logic rules used to manage the information and theidentifiers for the information. The structure and logic rules can beconsidered a “file system.”

A device discovery daemon 1020 may be a computer program that runs as abackground process that can discover new devices that connect with thenetwork 356 or communication subsystem 1008 or devices that disconnectfrom the network 356 or communication subsystem 1008. The devicediscovery daemon 1020 can ping the network 356 (the local subnet) whenthe vehicle 104 starts, when a vehicle door opens or closes, or upon theoccurrence of other events. Additionally or alternatively, the devicediscovery daemon 1020 may force Bluetooth®, USB, and/or wirelessdetection. For each device that responds to the ping, the devicediscovery daemon 1020 can populate the system data 208 with deviceinformation and capabilities, using any of one or more protocols,including one or more of, but not limited to, IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Option(HOPOPT), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet GroupManagement Protocol (IGMP), Gateway-to-Gateway Protocol (GGP), InternetProtocol (IP), Internet Stream Protocol (ST), Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP), Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), CHAOS, User DatagramProtocol (UDP), etc.

For example, the device discovery daemon 1020 can determine devicecapabilities based on the opened ports the device exposes. If a cameraexposes port 80, then the device discovery daemon 1020 can determinethat the camera is using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).Alternatively, if a device is supporting Universal Plug and Play (UPnP),the system data 208 can include more information, for example, a cameracontrol universal resource locator (URL), a camera zoom URL, etc. When ascan stops, the device discovery daemon 1020 can trigger a dashboardrefresh to ensure the user interface reflects the new devices on thedesktop.

A desktop manager 1012 may be a computer program that manages the userinterface of the vehicle control system 204. The desktop environment maybe designed to be customizable and allow the definition of the desktopconfiguration look-and-feel for a wide range of appliances or devicesfrom computer desktops, mobile devices, computer tablets, etc.Launcher(s), panels, desktop areas, the desktop background,notifications, panes, etc., can be configured from a dashboardconfiguration file managed by the desktop manager 1012. The graphicalelements in which the desktop manager 1012 controls can includelaunchers, the desktop, notification bars, etc.

The desktop may be an area of the display where the applications arerunning. The desktop can have a custom background. Further, the desktopmay be divided into two or more areas. For example, the desktop may bedivided into an upper half of a display and a lower half of the display.Each application can be configured to run in a portion of the desktop.Extended settings can be added to the desktop configuration file, suchthat, some objects may be displayed over the whole desktop or in customsize out of the context of the divided areas.

The notification bar may be a part of a bar display system, which mayprovide notifications by displaying, for example, icons and/or pop-upwindows that may be associated with sound notifications. Thenotification mechanism can be designed for separate plug-ins, which runin separate processes and may subscribe to a system Intelligent InputBus (IBUS)/D-BUS event service. The icons on the notifications bar canbe accompanied with application short-cuts to associated applications,for example, a Bluetooth® manager, a USB manager, radio volume and ortone control, a security firewall, etc.

The desktop manager 1012 may include a windows manager 1032, anapplication launcher 1036, and/or a panel launcher 1040. Each of thesecomponents can control a different aspect of the user interface. Thedesktop manager 1012 can use a root window to create panels that caninclude functionality for one or more of, but not limited to: launchingapplications, managing applications, providing notifications, etc.

The windows manager 1032 may be software that controls the placement andappearance of windows within a graphical user interface presented to theuser. Generally, the windows manager 1032 can provide the desktopenvironment used by the vehicle control system 204. The windows manager1032 can communicate with the kernel 1028 to interface with thegraphical system that provides the user interface(s) and supports thegraphics hardware, pointing devices, keyboard, touch-sensitive screens,etc. The windows manager 1032 may be a tiling window manager (i.e., awindow manager with an organization of the screen into mutuallynon-overlapping frames, as opposed to a coordinate-based stacking ofoverlapping objects (windows) that attempts to fully emulate the desktopmetaphor). The windows manager 1032 may read and store configurationfiles, in the system data 208, which can control the position of theapplication windows at precise positions.

An application manager 1036 can control the function of any applicationover the lifetime of the process. The process or application can belaunched from a panel launcher 1040 or from a remote console. Theapplication manager 1036 can intercept the process name and may takeappropriate action to manage that process. If the process is notrunning, the application manager 1036 can load the process and may bringthe process to a foreground in a display. The application manager 1036may also notify the windows manager 1032 to bring the associatedwindow(s) to a top of a window stack for the display. When a processstarts from a shell or a notification out of the context of the desktop,the application manager 1036 can scan files to match the process namewith the entry name provided. When a match is found, the applicationmanager 1036 can configure the process according to a settings file.

In some situations, the application manager 1036 may restrict anapplication as singleton (i.e., restricts the instantiation of a classto one object). If an application is already running and the applicationmanager 1036 is asked to run the application again, the applicationmanager 1036 can bring the running process to a foreground on a display.There can be a notification event exchange between the windows manager1032 and the application manager 1036 for activating the appropriatewindow for the foreground process. Once an application is launched, theapplication may not be terminated or killed. The application can be sentto the background, except, possibly, for some applications (e.g., mediaplayer, Bluetooth®, notifications, etc.), which may be given a lowestprocess priority.

The panel launcher 1040 can be a widget configured to be placed along aportion of the display. The panel launcher 1040 may be built fromdesktop files from a desktop folder. The desktop folder location can beconfigured by a configuration file stored in system data 208. The panellauncher 1040 can allow for the launching or executing of applicationsor processes by receiving inputs from a user interface to launchprograms.

A desktop plugin 1024 may be a software component that allows forcustomization of the desktop or software interface through theinitiation of plug-in applications.

One or more gestures used to interface with the vehicle control system204 may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 11A through 11K. FIGS.11A through 11H depict various graphical representations of gestureinputs that may be recognized by the devices 212, 248. The gestures maybe performed not only by a user's body part, such as a digit, but alsoby other devices, such as a stylus, that may be sensed by the contactsensing portion(s) of a screen associated with the device 212, 248. Ingeneral, gestures are interpreted differently, based on where thegestures are performed (either directly on a display or in a gesturecapture region). For example, gestures in a display may be directed to adesktop or application, and gestures in a gesture capture region may beinterpreted as for the system.

With reference to FIGS. 11A-11H, a first type of gesture, a touchgesture 1120, is substantially stationary on a portion (e.g., a screen,a display, etc.) of a device 212, 248 for a selected length of time. Acircle 1128 represents a touch or other contact type received atparticular location of a contact sensing portion of the screen. Thecircle 1128 may include a border 1132, the thickness of which indicatesa length of time that the contact is held substantially stationary atthe contact location. For instance, a tap 1120 (or short press) has athinner border 1132A than the border 1132B for a long press 1124 (or fora normal press). The long press 1124 may involve a contact that remainssubstantially stationary on the screen for longer time period than thatof a tap 1120. As will be appreciated, differently defined gestures maybe registered depending upon the length of time that the touch remainsstationary prior to contact cessation or movement on the screen.

With reference to FIG. 11C, a drag gesture 1100 on the screen is aninitial contact (represented by circle 1128) with contact movement 1136in a selected direction. The initial contact 1128 may remain stationaryon the screen for a certain amount of time represented by the border1132. The drag gesture typically requires the user to contact an icon,window, or other displayed image at a first location followed bymovement of the contact in a drag direction to a new second locationdesired for the selected displayed image. The contact movement need notbe in a straight line but have any path of movement so long as thecontact is substantially continuous from the first to the secondlocations.

With reference to FIG. 11D, a flick gesture 1104 on the screen is aninitial contact (represented by circle 1128) with truncated contactmovement 1136 (relative to a drag gesture) in a selected direction. Aflick may have a higher exit velocity for the last movement in thegesture compared to the drag gesture. The flick gesture can, forinstance, be a finger snap following initial contact. Compared to a draggesture, a flick gesture generally does not require continual contactwith the screen from the first location of a displayed image to apredetermined second location. The contacted displayed image is moved bythe flick gesture in the direction of the flick gesture to thepredetermined second location. Although both gestures commonly can movea displayed image from a first location to a second location, thetemporal duration and distance of travel of the contact on the screen isgenerally less for a flick than for a drag gesture.

With reference to FIG. 11E, a pinch gesture 1108 on the screen isdepicted. The pinch gesture 1108 may be initiated by a first contact1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit and a second contact1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first andsecond contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensingportion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of acommon screen, or by different contact sensing portions of differentscreens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, asrepresented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is heldfor a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. Thefirst and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same,and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantiallysimultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally alsoinclude corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B,respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B aregenerally in opposing directions. Stated another way, the first contactmovement 1136A is towards the second contact 1136B, and the secondcontact movement 1136B is towards the first contact 1136A. More simplystated, the pinch gesture 1108 may be accomplished by a user's digitstouching the screen in a pinching motion.

With reference to FIG. 11F, a spread gesture 1110 on the screen isdepicted. The spread gesture 1110 may be initiated by a first contact1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit, and a second contact1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first andsecond contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensingportion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of acommon screen, or by different contact sensing portions of differentscreens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, asrepresented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is heldfor a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. Thefirst and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same,and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantiallysimultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally alsoinclude corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B,respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B aregenerally in an opposing direction. Stated another way, the first andsecond contact movements 1136A,B are away from the first and secondcontacts 1128A,B. More simply stated, the spread gesture 1110 may beaccomplished by a user's digits touching the screen in a spreadingmotion.

The above gestures may be combined in any manner, such as those shown byFIGS. 11G and 11H, to produce a determined functional result. Forexample, in FIG. 11G a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flickgesture 1112 in a direction away from the tap gesture 1120. In FIG. 11H,a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flick gesture 1116 in adirection towards the tap gesture 1120.

The functional result of receiving a gesture can vary depending on anumber of factors, including a state of the vehicle 104, display, orscreen of a device, a context associated with the gesture, or sensedlocation of the gesture, etc. The state of the vehicle 104 commonlyrefers to one or more of a configuration of the vehicle 104, a displayorientation, and user and other inputs received by the vehicle 104.Context commonly refers to one or more of the particular application(s)selected by the gesture and the portion(s) of the application currentlyexecuting, whether the application is a single- or multi-screenapplication, and whether the application is a multi-screen applicationdisplaying one or more windows. A sensed location of the gesturecommonly refers to whether the sensed set(s) of gesture locationcoordinates are on a touch sensitive display or a gesture capture regionof a device 212, 248, whether the sensed set(s) of gesture locationcoordinates are associated with a common or different display, orscreen, or device 212, 248, and/or what portion of the gesture captureregion contains the sensed set(s) of gesture location coordinates.

A tap, when received by a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248,can be used, for instance, to select an icon to initiate or terminateexecution of a corresponding application, to maximize or minimize awindow, to reorder windows in a stack, and/or to provide user input suchas by keyboard display or other displayed image. A drag, when receivedby a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248, can be used, forinstance, to relocate an icon or window to a desired location within adisplay, to reorder a stack on a display, or to span both displays (suchthat the selected window occupies a portion of each displaysimultaneously). A flick, when received by a touch sensitive display ofa device 212, 248 or a gesture capture region, can be used to relocate awindow from a first display to a second display or to span both displays(such that the selected window occupies a portion of each displaysimultaneously). Unlike the drag gesture, however, the flick gesture isgenerally not used to move the displayed image to a specificuser-selected location but to a default location that is notconfigurable by the user.

The pinch gesture, when received by a touch sensitive display or agesture capture region of a device 212, 248, can be used to minimize orotherwise increase the displayed area or size of a window (typicallywhen received entirely by a common display), to switch windows displayedat the top of the stack on each display to the top of the stack of theother display (typically when received by different displays orscreens), or to display an application manager (a “pop-up window” thatdisplays the windows in the stack). The spread gesture, when received bya touch sensitive display or a gesture capture region of a device 212,248, can be used to maximize or otherwise decrease the displayed area orsize of a window, to switch windows displayed at the top of the stack oneach display to the top of the stack of the other display (typicallywhen received by different displays or screens), or to display anapplication manager (typically when received by an off-screen gesturecapture region on the same or different screens).

The combined gestures of FIG. 11G, when received by a common displaycapture region in a common display or screen of a device 212, 248, canbe used to hold a first window location constant for a display receivingthe gesture while reordering a second window location to include awindow in the display receiving the gesture. The combined gestures ofFIG. 11H, when received by different display capture regions in a commondisplay or screen of a device 212, 248 or in different displays orscreens of one more devices 212, 248, can be used to hold a first windowlocation for a display receiving the tap part of the gesture whilereordering a second window location to include a window in the displayreceiving the flick or drag gesture. Although specific gestures andgesture capture regions in the preceding examples have been associatedwith corresponding sets of functional results, it is to be appreciatedthat these associations can be redefined in any manner to producediffering associations between gestures and/or gesture capture regionsand/or functional results.

Gestures that may be completed in three-dimensional space and not on atouch sensitive screen or gesture capture region of a device 212, 248may be as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K. The gestures may be completed in anarea where a sensor, such as an optical sensor, infrared sensor, orother type of sensor, may detect the gesture. For example, the gesture1140 in FIG. 11I may be executed by a person when the person opens theirhand 1164 and moves their hand in a back and forth direction 1148 as agesture 1140 to complete some function with the vehicle 104. For examplegesture 1140 may change the station of the radio in the vehicle 104. Thesensors 242 may both determine the configuration of the hand 1164 andthe vector of the movement. The vector and hand configuration can beinterpreted to mean certain things to the vehicle control system 204 andproduce different results.

In another example of a gesture 1152 in FIG. 11J, a user may configuretheir hand 1164 to extend two fingers and move the hand 1164 in an upand down operation 1156. This gesture 1152 may control the volume of theradio or some other function. For instance, this gesture 1152 may beconfigured to place the vehicle in a “valet” mode to, among otherthings, restrict access to certain features associated with the vehicle.Again, the sensors 242 may determine how the person has configured theirhand 1164, and the vector of the movement. In another example of agesture 1160 shown in FIG. 11K, a user may extend their middle threefingers at an angle that is substantially 45° for vertical from straightvertical and circle the hand in a counter-clockwise motion 1166. Thisgesture 1160 may cause the automobile to change the heat setting or dosome other function. As can be understood by one skilled in the art, theconfigurations of the hand and the types of movement are variable. Thus,the user may configure the hand 1164 in any way imaginable and may alsomove that hand 1164 in any direction with any vector inthree-dimensional space.

The gestures 1140, 1152, 1160, as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K, may occur in apredetermined volume of space within the vehicle 104. For example, asensor may be configured to identify such gestures 1140, 1152, 1160between the front passenger's and front driver's seats over a consolearea within the passenger compartment of the vehicle 104. The gestures1140, 1152, 1160 may be made within area 1 508A between zones A 512A andB 512B. However, there may be other areas 508 where a user may usecertain gestures, where sensors 242 may be able to determine a certainfunction is desired. Gestures that may be similar but used in differentareas within the vehicle 104 may cause different functions to beperformed. For example, the gesture 1140 in FIG. 11I, if used in zone E512E, may change the heat provided in zone E 512E, but may change thestation of a radio if used in zone A 512A and/or zone B 512B. Further,the gestures may be made with other body parts or, for example,different expressions of a person's face and may be used to controlfunctions in the vehicle 104. Also, the user may use two hands in somecircumstances or do other types of physical movements that can causedifferent reactions in the vehicle 104.

FIGS. 12A-12D show various embodiments of a data structure 1200 to storedifferent settings. The data structure 1200 may include one or more ofdata files or data objects 1204, 1250, 1270, 1280. Thus, the datastructure 1200 may represent different types of databases or datastorage, for example, object-oriented data bases, flat file datastructures, relational database, or other types of data storagearrangements. Embodiments of the data structure 1200 disclosed hereinmay be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As indicated in FIGS.12A-12D, there may be more or fewer portions in the data structure 1200,as represented by ellipses 1244. Further, there may be more or fewerfiles in the data structure 1200, as represented by ellipses 1248.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a first data structure is shown. The data file1204 may include several portions 1208-1242 representing different typesof data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a user, asshown in portion 1208.

There may be one or more user records 1240 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1204. As provided herein, the user can be anyperson that uses or rides within the vehicle or conveyance 104. The usermay be identified in portion 1212. For the vehicle 104, the user mayinclude a set of one or more features that may identify the user. Thesefeatures may be the physical characteristics of the person that may beidentified by facial recognition or some other type of system. In othersituations, the user may provide a unique code to the vehicle controlsystem 204 or provide some other type of data that allows the vehiclecontrol system 204 to identify the user. The features or characteristicsof the user are then stored in portion 1212.

Each user, identified in portion 1208, may have a different set ofsettings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512 within the vehicle 104.Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predeterminedzone 512 or area 508. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220, and thearea 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be the configurations of different functions within the vehicle 104that are specified by or for that user. For example, the settings 1224may be the position of a seat, the position of a steering wheel, theposition of accelerator and/or brake pedals, positions of mirrors, aheating/cooling setting, a radio setting, a cruise control setting, orsome other type of setting associated with the vehicle 104. Further, invehicles adapted to have a configurable console or a configurable dashor heads-up display, the settings 1224 may also provide for how thatheads-up display, dash, or console are configured for this particularuser.

Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone512. Thus, there may be more settings 1224 for when the user is thedriver and in zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, there may besimilar settings 1224 among the different zones 512 or areas 508 asshown in portion 1224. For example, the heating or radio settings forthe user may be similar in every zone 512.

The sensors 242 within the vehicle 104 may be able to either obtain ortrack health data in portion 1228. Health data 1228 may include any typeof physical characteristic associated with the user. For example, aheart rate, a blood pressure, a temperature, or other types of heathdata may be obtained and stored in portion 1228. The user may have thishealth data tracked over a period of time to allow for statisticalanalysis of the user's health while operating the vehicle 104. In thisway, if some function of the user's health deviates from a norm (e.g., abaseline measurement, average measurements taken over time, and thelike), the vehicle 104 may be able to determine there is a problem withthe person and react to that data.

One or more gestures may be stored in portion 1232. Thus, the gesturesused and described in conjunction FIG. 11A through 11K may beconfigurable. These gestures may be determined or created by the userand stored in portion 1132. A user may have different gestures for eachzone 512 or area 508 within the vehicle. The gestures that do certainthings while driving may do other things while in a different area 508of the vehicle 104. Thus, the user may use a first set of gestures whiledriving and a second set while a passenger. Further, one or more usersmay share gestures as shown in portion 1232. Each driver may have acommon set of gestures that they use in zone A 512A, 512A. Each of thesegestures may be determined or captured and then stored with theircharacteristics (e.g., vector, position of gesture, etc.) in portion1232.

One or more sets of safety parameters may be stored in portion 1236.Safety parameters 1236 may be common operating characteristics for thisdriver/passenger or for all drivers/passengers that if deviated from maydetermine there is a problem with the driver/passenger or the vehicle104. For example, a certain route may be taken repeatedly and an averagespeed or mean speed may be determined. If the mean speed deviates bysome number of standard deviations, a problem with the vehicle 104 orthe user may be determined. In another example, the healthcharacteristics or driving experience of the user may be determined. Ifthe user drives in a certain position where their head occupies acertain portion of three-dimensional space within the vehicle 104, thevehicle control system 204 may determine that the safety parameterincludes the users face or head being within this certain portion of thevehicle interior space. If the user's head deviates from that interiorspace for some amount of time, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine that something is wrong with the driver and change thefunction or operation of the vehicle 104 to assist the driver. This mayhappen, for example, when a user falls asleep at the wheel. If theuser's head droops and no longer occupies a certain three dimensionalspace, the vehicle control system 204 can determine that the driver hasfallen asleep and may take control of the operation of the vehicle 204and the automobile controller 8104 may steer the vehicle 204 to the sideof the road. In other examples, if the user's reaction time is too slowor some other safety parameter is not nominal, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may determine that the user is inebriated or having someother medical problem. The vehicle control system 204 may then assumecontrol of the vehicle to ensure that the driver is safe.

Information corresponding to a user and/or a user profile may be storedin the profile information portion 1238. For example, the profileinformation 1238 may include data relating to at least one of currentdata, historical data, a user preference, user habit, user routine,observation, location data (e.g., programmed and/or requesteddestinations, locations of parking, routes traveled, average drivingtime, etc.), social media connections, contacts, brand recognition(e.g., determined via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle104, a device 212, 248, etc.), audible recording data, text data, emaildata, political affiliation, preferred retail locations/sites (e.g.,physical locations, web-based locations, etc.), recent purchases,behavior associated with the aforementioned data, and the like. The datain the profile information portion 1238 may be stored in one or more ofthe data structures 1200 provided herein. As can be appreciated, theseone or more data structures may be stored in one or more memorylocations. Examples of various memory locations are described inconjunction with FIG. 2.

One or more additional data fields may be stored in the linked dataportion 1242 as data and/or locations of data. The linked data 1242 mayinclude at least one of pointers, addresses, location identification,data source information, and other information corresponding toadditional data associated with the data structure 1200. Optionally, thelinked data portion 1242 may refer to data stored outside of aparticular data structure 1200. For example, the linked data portion1242 may include a link/locator to the external data. Continuing thisexample, the link/locator may be resolved (e.g., via one or more of themethods and/or systems provided herein, etc.) to access the data storedoutside of the data structure 1200. Additionally or alternatively, thelinked data portion 1242 may include information configured to link thedata objects 1204 to other data files or data objects 1250, 1270, 1280.For instance, the data object 1204 relating to a user may be linked toat least one of a device data object 1250, a vehicle system data object1270, and a vehicle data object 1280, to name a few.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associatedwith one or more devices is shown in FIG. 12B. The data file 1250 mayinclude several portions 1216-1262 representing different types of data.Each of these types of data may be associated with a device, as shown inportion 1252.

There may be one or more device records 1250 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1250. As provided herein, the device may be anydevice that is associated with the vehicle 104. For example, a devicemay be associated with a vehicle 104 when that device is physicallylocated within the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. As anotherexample, a device may be associated with a vehicle 104 when the deviceregisters with the vehicle 104. Registration may include pairing thedevice with the vehicle 104 and/or one or more of the vehicle systems(e.g., as provided in FIG. 3). In some cases, the registration of adevice with a vehicle 104 may be performed manually and/orautomatically. An example of automatic registration may includedetecting, via one or more of the vehicle systems, that a device isinside the vehicle 104. Upon detecting that the device is inside thevehicle 104, the vehicle system may identify the device and determinewhether the device is or should be registered. Registration may beperformed outside of a vehicle 104 via providing a unique code to thevehicle 104 and/or at least one of the vehicle systems.

The device may be identified in portion 1256. Among other things, thedevice identification may be based on the hardware associated with thedevice (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) address, Burned-In Address(BIA), Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA), physical address, hardwareaddress, and the like).

Optionally, a device may be associated with one or more users. Forexample, a tablet and/or graphical user interface (GUI) associated withthe vehicle 104 may be used by multiple members of a family. Forinstance, the GUI may be located in a particular area 508 and/or zone512 of the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, when a family member islocated in the particular area 508 and/or zone 512, the device mayinclude various settings, features, priorities, capabilities, and thelike, based on an identification of the family member. The user may beidentified in portion 1254. For the device, the user identificationportion 1254 may include a set of one or more features that may identifya particular user. These features may be the physical characteristics ofthe person that may be identified by facial recognition, or some othertype of system, associated with the device and/or the vehicle 104.Optionally, the user may provide a unique code to the device, or providesome other type of data, that allows the device to identify the user.The features or characteristics of the user are then stored in portion1254.

Each device identified in the device identification portion 1256 mayhave a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512,and/or each user of the device. Thus, each set of settings may also beassociated with a predetermined zone 512, area 508, and/or user. Thezone 512 is stored in portion 1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a device is configured for aparticular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a differentarea 508 or zone 512. Thus, there may be more restrictive settings 1224(e.g., restricted multimedia, texting, limited access to devicefunctions, and the like) for the device when the user is the driver andin zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, when the user is inanother zone 512 or area 508, for example, where the user is notoperating a vehicle 104, the settings 1224 may provide unrestrictedaccess to one or more features of the device (e.g., allowing texting,multimedia, etc.).

Optionally, the capabilities of a device may be stored in portion 1258.Examples of device capabilities may include, but are not limited to, acommunications ability (e.g., via wireless network, EDGE, 3G, 4G, LTE,wired, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communications (NFC), Infrared (IR),etc.), hardware associated with the device (e.g., cameras, gyroscopes,accelerometers, touch interface, processor, memory, display, etc.),software (e.g., installed, available, revision, release date, etc.),firmware (e.g., type, revision, etc.), operating system, system status,and the like. Optionally, the various capabilities associated with adevice may be controlled by one or more of the vehicle systems providedherein. Among other things, this control allows the vehicle 104 toleverage the power and features of various devices to collect, transmit,and/or receive data.

One or more priorities may be stored in portion 1260. The priority maycorrespond to a value, or combination of values, configured to determinehow a device interacts with the vehicle 104 and/or its various systems.The priority may be based on a location of the device (e.g., as storedin portions 1216, 1220). A default priority can be associated with eacharea 508 and/or zone 512 of a vehicle 104. For example, the defaultpriority associated with a device found in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A(e.g., a vehicle operator position) may be set higher than an (or thehighest of any) alternative zone 512 or area 508 of the vehicle 104.Continuing this example, the vehicle 104 may determine that, althoughother devices are found in the vehicle, the device, having the highestpriority, controls features associated with the vehicle 104. Thesefeatures may include vehicle control features, critical and/ornon-critical systems, communications, and the like. Additionally oralternatively, the priority may be based on a particular user associatedwith the device. Optionally, the priority may be used to determine whichdevice will control a particular signal in the event of a conflict.

Registration data may be stored in portion 1262. As described above,when a particular device registers with a vehicle 104, data related tothe registration may be stored in the registration data portion 1262.Such data may include, but is not limited to, registration information,registration codes, initial registration time, expiration ofregistration, registration timers, and the like. Optionally, one or moresystems of the vehicle 104 may refer to the registration data portion1262 to determine whether a device has been previously registered withthe vehicle 104. As shown in FIG. 12B, User 4 of Device 2 has not beenregistered. In this case, the registration data field 1262, for thisuser, may be empty, contain a null value, or otherinformation/indication that there is no current registration informationassociated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associatedwith one or more vehicle systems is shown in FIG. 12C. The data file1270 may include several portions 1216-1279 representing different typesof data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a vehiclesystem, as shown in portion 1272.

There may be one or more system records 1270 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1270. As provided herein, the vehicle systems maybe any system and/or subsystem that is associated with the vehicle 104.Examples of various systems are described in conjunction with FIG. 3 andother related figures (e.g., systems 324-352, etc.). One example of asystem associated with the vehicle 104 is the vehicle control system204. Other systems may include communications subsystems 344, vehiclesubsystems 328, and media subsystems 348, to name a few. It should beappreciated that the various systems may be associated with the interiorspace 108 and/or the exterior of the vehicle 104.

Each system may include one or more components. The components may beidentified in portion 1274. Identification of the one or more componentsmay be based on hardware associated with the component. Thisidentification may include hardware addresses similar to those describedin conjunction with the devices of FIG. 12B. Additionally oralternatively, a component can be identified by one or more signals sentvia the component. Such signals may include an Internet Protocol (IP),or similar, address as part of the signal. Optionally, the signal mayidentify the component sending the signal via one or more of a header, afooter, a payload, and/or an identifier associated with the signal(e.g., a packet of a signal, etc.).

Each system and/or component may include priority type information inportion 1276. Among other things, the priority type information storedin portion 1276 may be used by the various methods and systems providedherein to differentiate between critical and non-critical systems.Non-limiting examples of critical systems may correspond to thosesystems used to control the vehicle 104, such as, steering control,engine control, throttle control, braking control, and/or navigationinformational control (e.g., speed measurement, fuel measurement, etc.)Non-critical systems may include other systems that are not directlyrelated to the control of the vehicle 104. By way of example,non-critical systems may include media presentation, wirelesscommunications, comfort settings systems (e.g., climate control, seatposition, seat warmers, etc.), and the like. Although examples ofcritical and/or non-critical systems are provided above, it should beappreciated that the priority type of a system may change (e.g., fromcritical to non-critical, from non-critical to critical, etc.) dependingon the scenario. For instance, although the interior climate controlsystem may be classified as a non-critical system at a first point intime, it may be subsequently classified as a critical system when atemperature inside/outside of the vehicle 104 is measured at a dangerouslevel (e.g., sub-zero Fahrenheit, greater than 90-degrees Fahrenheit,etc.). As such, the priority type may be associated with temperatureconditions, air quality, times of the day, condition of the vehicle 104,and the like.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may beused to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the systeminteracts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can beappreciated each system may have a different set of settings for eacharea 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus,each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a system is configured for aparticular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a differentarea 508 or zone 512. For instance, a climate control system may beassociated with more than one area 508 and/or zone 512. As such, a firstuser seated in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A may store settings related tothe climate control of that zone 512A that are different from otherusers and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. Optionally, the settings maynot be dependent on a user. For instance, specific areas 508 and/orzones 512 of a vehicle 104 may include different, default, or the samesettings based on the information stored in portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or trackhealth status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. Thehealth status 1278 may include any type of information related to astate of the systems. For instance, an operational condition,manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time inoperation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate datareporting, and other types of component/system health status data may beobtained and stored in portion 1278.

Each component and/or system may be configured to communicate withusers, systems, servers, vehicles, third parties, and/or other endpointsvia one or more communication type. At least one communication abilityand/or type associated with a system may be stored in the communicationtype portion 1279. Optionally, the communication types contained in thisportion 1279 may be ordered in a preferential order of communicationtypes. For instance, a system may be configured to preferablycommunicate via a wired communication protocol over one or more wiredcommunication channels (e.g., due to information transfer speeds,reliability, and the like). However, in this instance, if the one ormore wired communication channels fail, the system may transferinformation via an alternative communication protocol and channel (e.g.,a wireless communication protocol and wireless communication channel,etc.). Among other things, the methods and systems provided herein maytake advantage of the information stored in the communication typeportion 1279 to open available communication channels in the event of acommunication channel failure, listen on other ports for informationtransmitted from the systems, provide a reliability rating based on thenumber of redundant communication types for each component, and more.Optionally, a component or system may be restricted from communicatingvia a particular communication type (e.g., based on rules, traffic,critical/non-critical priority type, and the like). In this example, thecomponent or system may be forced by the vehicle control system 204 touse an alternate communication type where available, ceasecommunications, or store communications for later transfer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

Referring now to FIG. 12D, a data structure 1200 is shown optionally.The data file 1280 may include several portions 1216-1286 representingdifferent types of data. Each of these types of data may be associatedwith a vehicle, as shown in portion 1282.

There may be one or more vehicle records 1280 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1282. As provided herein, the vehicle 104 can beany vehicle or conveyance 104 as provided herein. The vehicle 104 may beidentified in portion 1282. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle104 may be identified by one or more systems and/or subsystems. Thevarious systems of a vehicle 104 may be identified in portion 1284. Forexample, various features or characteristics of the vehicle 104 and/orits systems may be stored in portion 1284. Optionally, the vehicle 104may be identified via a unique code or some other type of data thatallows the vehicle 104 to be identified.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may beused to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the systeminteracts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can beappreciated each system may have a different set of settings for eacharea 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus,each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a vehicle and/or its systemsare configured for one or more users. Each setting 1224 may beassociated with a different area 508 or zone 512. Optionally, thesettings may not be dependent on a particular user. For instance,specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of a vehicle 104 may includedifferent, default, or the same settings based on the information storedin portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or trackhealth status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. Thehealth status 1278 may include any type of information related to astate of the systems. For instance, an operational condition,manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time inoperation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate datareporting, and other types of component/system health status data may beobtained and stored in portion 1278.

One or more warnings may be stored in portion 1286. The warnings data1286 may include warning generated by the vehicle 104, systems of thevehicle 104, manufacturer of the vehicle, federal agency, third party,and/or a user associated with the vehicle. For example, severalcomponents of the vehicle may provide health status information (e.g.,stored in portion 1278) that, when considered together, may suggest thatthe vehicle 104 has suffered some type of damage and/or failure.Recognition of this damage and/or failure may be stored in the warningsdata portion 1286. The data in portion 1286 may be communicated to oneor more parties (e.g., a manufacturer, maintenance facility, user,etc.). In another example, a manufacturer may issue a recallnotification for a specific vehicle 104, system of a vehicle 104, and/ora component of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the recallnotification may be stored in the warning data field 1286. Continuingthis example, the recall notification may then be communicated to theuser of the vehicle 104 notifying the user of the recall issued by themanufacturer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a method 1300 for storing settings for a user 216associated with vehicle 104 is shown in FIG. 13. While a general orderfor the steps of the method 1300 is shown in FIG. 13, the method 1300can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 13. Generally, the method 1300starts with a start operation 1304 and ends with an end operation 1336.The method 1300 can be executed as a set of computer-executableinstructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on acomputer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1300 shall beexplained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software,data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-12.

A person may enter the vehicle space 108. One or more sensors 242 maythen identify that a person is sitting within the vehicle 104, in step1308. For example, sensors 242 in a seat, may determine that some newamount of weight has been registered. The amount of weight may fallwithin predetermined parameters (e.g., over a threshold, in a specificrange, etc.). This weight may then be determined to be a person by oneor more optical or other sensors 242. The vehicle control system 204 maythen determine that a person is in a certain zone 512 or area 508. Forexample, the sensors 242 may send signals to the vehicle controls system204 that an event has occurred. This information may be sent to thevehicle control system processor 304 to determine the zone 512 and area508 where the event occurred. Further, the vehicle control system 204may then identify the person, in step 1312.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from thesensors 242 and use that information to search the database 1200 thatmay be stored within the system data 208. The sensor data may becompared to ID characteristics 1212 to determine if the person hasalready been identified. The vehicle control system 204 may also sendthe characteristic data from the sensors to the communication network224 to a server 228 to compare the sensor data to stored data 232 thatmay be stored in a cloud system. The person's features can be comparedto stored features 1212 to determine if the person in the vehicle 104can be identified.

If the person has been identified previously and their characteristicsstored in portion 1212, the method 1300 proceeds YES to step 1316 wherethat person may be identified. In identifying a person, the informationassociated with that person 1240 may be retrieved and provided to thevehicle control system 204 for further action. If a person cannot beidentified by finding their sensor characteristics in portion 1212, themethod 1300 proceeds NO to step 1320. In step 1320, the vehicle controlsystem 204, using an application, may create a new record in table 1200for the user. This new record may store a user identifier and theircharacteristics 1212. It may also store the area 508 and zone 512 indata portions 1216 and 1220. The new record may then be capable ofreceiving new settings data for this particular user. In this way, thevehicle 104 can automatically identify or characterize a person so thatsettings may be established for the person in the vehicle 104.

The input module 312 may then determine if settings are to be stored, instep 1324. Settings might be any configuration of the vehicle 104 thatmay be associated with the user. The determination may be made afterreceiving a user input from the user. For example, the user may make aselection on a touch sensitive display indicating that settingscurrently made are to be stored. In other situations, a period of timemay elapse after the user has made a configuration. After determiningthat the user is finished making changes to the settings, based on thelength of the period of time since the setting was established, thevehicle control system 204 can save the setting. Thus, the vehiclecontrol system 204 can make settings automatically based on reaching asteady state for settings for user.

The vehicle control system 204 may then store the settings for theperson, in step 1328. The user interaction subsystem 332 can make a newentry for the user 1208 in data structure 1204. The new entry may beeither a new user or a new settings listed in 1224. The settings may bestored based on the area 508 and zone 512. As explained previously, thesettings can be any kind of configuration of the vehicle 104 that may beassociated with the user in that area 508 and the zone 512.

The settings may also be stored in cloud storage, in step 1332. Thus,the vehicle control system 204 can send the new settings to the server228 to be stored in storage 232. In this way, these new settings may beported to other vehicles for the user. Further, the settings in storagesystem 232 may be retrieved, if local storage does not include thesettings in storage system 208.

Additionally or alternatively, the settings may be stored in profiledata 252. As provided herein, the profile data 252 may be associatedwith one or more devices 212, 248, servers 228, vehicle control systems204, and the like. Optionally, the settings in profile data 252 may beretrieved in response to conditions. For instance, the settings may beretrieved from at least one source having the profile data if localstorage does not include the settings in storage system 208. As anotherexample, a user 216 may wish to transfer settings stored in profile data252 to the system data 208. In any event, the retrieval and transfer ofsettings may be performed automatically via one or more devices 204,212, 248, associated with the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1400 to configure the vehicle 104 based onstored settings is shown in FIG. 14. A general order for the steps ofthe method 1400 is shown in FIG. 14. Generally, the method 1400 startswith a start operation 1404 and ends with an end operation 1428. Themethod 1400 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order ofthe steps differently than those shown in FIG. 14. The method 1400 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 1400 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone512 or area 508, in step 1408. This determination may be made byreceiving data from one or more sensors 242. The vehicle 104 can usefacial recognition, weight sensors, heat sensors, or other sensors todetermine whether a person is occupying a certain zone 512.

Using the information from the sensors 242, the vehicle control system204 can identify the person, in step 1412. The vehicle control system204 can obtain characteristics for the user currently occupying the zone512 and compare those characteristics to the identifying features inportion 1212 of data structure 1204. Thus, the settings in portion 1224may be retrieved by identifying the correct zone 512, area 508, andcharacteristics for the user.

The vehicle control system 204 can first determine if there are settingsassociated with the identified person for that zone 512 and/or area 508,in step 1416. After identifying the user by matching characteristicswith the features in portion 1212, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine if there are settings for the user for the area 1216 and zone1220 the user currently occupies. If there are settings, then thevehicle control system 204 can make the determination that there aresettings in portion 1224, and the vehicle control system 204 may thenread and retrieve those settings, in step 1420. The settings may be thenused to configure or react to the presence of the user, in step 1424.Thus, these settings may be obtained to change the configuration of thevehicle 104, for example, how the position of the seats or mirrors areset, how the dash, console, or heads up display is configured, how theheat or cooling is configured, how the radio is configured, or how otherdifferent configurations are made.

Embodiments of a method 1500 for storing settings in cloud storage areshown in FIG. 15. A general order for the steps of the method 1500 isshown in FIG. 15. Generally, the method 1500 starts with a startoperation 1504 and ends with an end operation 1540. The method 1500 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 15. The method 1500 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1500 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-14.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone512 or area 508, in step 1508. As explained previously, the vehiclecontrol system 204 can receive vehicle sensor data from vehicle sensors242 that show a person has occupied a zone 512 or an area 508 of thevehicle 104. Using the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system204 can determine characteristics of the person, in step 1512. Thesecharacteristics are compared to the features in portion 1212 of the datastructure 1204. From this comparison, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine if the person is identified within the data structure 1204, instep 1516. If there is a comparison and the person can be identified,the method 1500 proceeds YES to step 1520. However, if the person cannotbe identified, the method 1500 proceeds NO, to step 1524.

In step 1520, the person is identified in portion 1208 by the successfulcomparison of the characteristics and the features. It should be notedthat there may be a degree of variability between the characteristicsand the features in portion 1212. Thus, the comparison may not be anexact comparison but may use methods known in the art to make astatistically significant comparison between the characteristicsreceived from the sensors 242 and the features stored in portion 1212.In step 1524, the characteristics received from sensors 242 are used tocharacterize the person. In this way, the received characteristics maybe used as an ID, in portion 1212, for a new entry for a new user inportion 1208.

The user may make one or more settings for the vehicle 104. The vehiclecontrol system 204 may determine if the settings are to be stored, instep 1528. If the settings are to be stored, the method 1500 proceedsYES to step 1536. If the settings are not to be stored or if there areno settings to be stored, the method 1500 proceeds NO to step 1532. Instep 1532, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve the settings inthe portion 1224 of the data structure 1204. Retrieval of the settingsmay be as described in conjunction with FIG. 14. If settings are to bestored, the vehicle control system 204 can send those settings to server228 to be stored in data storage 232, in step 1536. Data storage 232acts as cloud storage that can be used to retrieve information on thesettings from other vehicles or from other sources. Thus, the cloudstorage 232 allows for permanent and more robust storage of userpreferences for the settings of the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1600 for storing gestures associated with theuser is shown in FIG. 16. A general order for the steps of the method1600 is shown in FIG. 16. Generally, the method 1600 starts with a startoperation 1604 and ends with an end operation 1640. The method 1600 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 16. The method 1600 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1600 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-15.

Vehicle control system 204 may receive sensor data from sensors 242 todetermine a person is occupying a zone 512 in an area 508 of the vehicle104, in step 1608. The sensor data may provide characteristics for theperson, in step 1612. The vehicle control system 204 may then use thecharacteristics to determine if the person can be identified, in step1616. The vehicle control system 204 may compare the characteristics tothe features in portion 1212 for the people having been recognized andhaving data associated therewith. If a comparison is made between thecharacteristics and the features in portion 1212, the person can beidentified, and the method 1600 proceeds YES to step 1620. If there isno comparison, the method 1600 may proceed NO to step 1624. In step1620, the person may be identified by the vehicle control system 204.Thus, the person's features and associated data record 1240 may bedetermined and the user identified in portion 1208. If the person is notidentified, the vehicle control system 204 can characterize the personin step 1624 by establishing a new record in data structure 1204 usingthe characteristics, received from the sensors 242, for the features inportion 1212.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may determine if gesturesare to be stored and associated with the user, in step 1628. The vehiclecontrol system 204 may receive user input on a touch sensitive displayor some other type of gesture capture region which acknowledges that theuser wishes to store one or more gestures. Thus, the user may createtheir own gestures such as those described in conjunction with FIGS.11A-11K. These gestures may then be characterized and stored in datastructure 1204. If there are gestures to be stored, the method 1600proceeds YES to step 1636. If gestures are not to be stored the method1600 may proceed NO to step 1632.

In step 1632, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve currentgestures from portion 1232, which are associated with user 1240. Thesegestures may be used then to configure how the vehicle 104 will react ifa gesture is received. If gestures are to be stored, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may store characteristics, in step 1636, as received fromsensor 242 or from one more user interface inputs. These characteristicsmay then be used to create the stored gestures 1232, in data structure1204. The characteristics may include what the gesture looks like orappears and also what affect the gesture should have. This informationmay then be used to change the configuration or operation of the vehicle104 based on the gesture if it is received at a later time.

An embodiment of a method 1700 for receiving a gesture and configuringthe vehicle 104 based on the gesture may be as provided in FIG. 17. Ageneral order for the steps of the method 1700 is shown in FIG. 17.Generally, the method 1700 starts with a start operation 1704 and endswith an end operation 1728. The method 1700 can include more or fewersteps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shownin FIG. 17. The method 1700 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method1700 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-16.

A vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from vehiclesensors 242. The vehicle sensor data can be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 to determine that a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, instep 1708. The vehicle sensor data may then be used to compare againstfeature characteristics 1212 to identify a person, in step 1712. Thevehicle control system 204 thereinafter may receive a gesture, in step1716. The gesture may be perceived by vehicle sensors 242 or received ina gesture capture region. The gesture may be as described in conjunctionwith FIGS. 11A-11K. Upon receiving the gesture, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can compare the gesture to gesture characteristics in portion1232, in step 1720. The comparison may be made so that a statisticallysignificant coorelation between the sensor data or gesture data and thegesture characteristic 1232 is made. Upon identifying the gesture, thevehicle control system 204 can configure the vehicle 104 and/or react tothe gesture, in step 1724. The configuration or reaction to the gesturemay be as prescribed in the gesture characteristic 1232.

An embodiment of a method 1800 for storing health data may be as shownin FIG. 18. A general order for the steps of the method 1800 is shown inFIG. 18. Generally, the method 1800 starts with a start operation 1804and ends with an end operation 1844. The method 1800 can include more orfewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than thoseshown in FIG. 18. The method 1800 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method1800 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-17.

Vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from sensors 242. Thesensor data may be used to determine that a person is in a zone 512 orarea 508, in step 1808. The sensor data may then be used to determinecharacteristics of the person, in step 1812. From the characteristics,the vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person may beidentified in data structure 1204, in step 1816. If it is determinedthat the person can be identified in step 1816, the method 1800 proceedsYES to step 1820. If the person cannot be identified, the method 1800proceeds NO to step 1824. A person may be identified by matching thecharacteristics of a person from the sensor data to the features shownin portion 1212. If these comparisons are statistically significant, theperson may be identified in portion 1208, in step 1820. However, if theperson is not identified in portion 1208, the vehicle control system 204can characterize the person using the vehicle sensor data, in step 1824.In this way, the vehicle control system 204 can create a new record fora new user in data structure 1204.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may receive health and/orsafety data from the vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. The vehiclecontrol system 204 can determine if the health or safety data is to bestored, in step 1832. The determination is made as to whether or notthere is sufficient health data or safety parameters, in portion 1228and 1236, to provide a reasonable baseline data pattern for the user1240. If there is data to be received and stored, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can store the data for the person in portions 1228 and 1236of the data structure 1204, in step 1832.

The vehicle control system 204 may then wait a period of time, in step1836. The period of time may be any amount of time from seconds tominutes to days. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 canreceive new data from vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. Thus, thevehicle control system 204 can receive data periodically and update orcontinue to refine the health data and safety parameters in datastructure 1204. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 mayoptionally store the health and safety data in cloud storage 232 bysending it through the communication network 224 to the server 228, instep 1840.

An embodiment of a method 1900 for monitoring the health of a user maybe as shown in FIG. 19. A general order for the steps of the method 1900is shown in FIG. 19. Generally, the method 1900 starts with a startoperation 1904 and ends with an end operation 1928. The method 1900 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 19. The method 1900 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1900 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-18.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive health data from sensors 242.The health data may be received in step 1908. The vehicle control system204 may then compare the received health data to stored healthparameters in portion 1228 or portion 1236, in step 1912. The comparisonmay check if there is statistically significant separation ordisagreement between the received health data and the stored healthdata. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can make a health comparisonof the user based on a baseline of health data previously stored. Astatistically significant comparison may include determining if thereare any parameters more than three standard deviations from the averageor norm, any parameter that is increasing or decreasing over a period ofeight different measurements, a measurement that is more than twostandard deviations from the norm more than three measurementsconsecutively, or other types of statistical comparisons.

If the vehicle control system 204 determines that measured healthparameter does deviate from the norm, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine whether the health data is within acceptable limits, in step1916. If the health data is within acceptable limits, the method 1900proceeds YES back to receiving new health data, in step 1908. In thisway, the health data is periodically or continually monitored to ensurethat the driver is in a healthy state and able to operate the vehicle.If the health data is not within acceptable parameters, the method 1900may proceed NO to step 1924 where the vehicle control system 204 mayreact to the change in the health data. The reaction may include anymeasure to provide for the safety of the user, such as stopping thevehicle, beginning to drive the vehicle, driving the vehicle to a newlocation, such as a hospital, waking the driver with an alarm or othernoise, or performing some other function that may help maintain thehealth or safety of the user.

The health data received may be a reaction from the driver. For example,the driver may call for help or ask the vehicle for assistance. Forexample, the driver or passenger may say that they are having a medicalemergency and ask the car to perform some function to help. The functionto help may include driving the person to a hospital or stopping the carand calling for emergency assistance.

A vehicle may provide methods and systems for a detecting an intrudernear or within a vehicle. Specifically, a method to detect and identifya person near or within a vehicle as an authorized or an unauthorizeduser is provided. In the event an unauthorized user is detected within avehicle, the system may take a number of actions. In one embodiment, theactions comprise notifying one or more authorized users of the vehicle,disabling the vehicle, notifying emergency personnel or police, andemitting a visual or audio alarm.

More specifically, a vehicle may detect and identify that an intruder isnear a vehicle or has entered a vehicle. An action may then be taken,such as providing notice to one or more authorized users of the vehicleand disabling the vehicle.

FIG. 20 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle intruder alert detection andindication system 2000. Vehicle 104 is shown in communication withelements as disclosed above, i.e. vehicle sensors 242, profile data 252,communication network 224 and vehicle control system 204. A user 216 isshown near vehicle 104. The user 216 may be an authorized user or anunauthorized user. An authorized user is typically so identified inprofile data 252.

The user 216 is detected by one or more vehicle sensors 242 comprisingexternal sensors and internal sensors. The detection may be of a user216 near the vehicle 104 and/or of a user 216 inside the vehicle 104. Auser that is either near a vehicle 104 or inside a vehicle 104, or both,is referred to as “in contact” with the vehicle 104. Upon detecting auser 216 near or inside of the vehicle 104, profile data 252 is accessedand assessed to determine if the user 216 is an authorized user or anunauthorized user. In the event the user 216 is determined to be anunauthorized user 216, the vehicle control system 204 takes action viacommunication network 224. The action may comprise providing notice toone or more emergency agencies 2004 such as police, to a securityprovider 2008 such as a monitoring service that notifies other partiessuch as the vehicle owner, and one or more authorized users 2012 toinclude by way of device or user interface 212. Alternatively oradditionally, the vehicle control system 204 may disable the vehicleand/or provide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g.flashing of headlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn).

Emergency agency 2004 is broadly defined as any entity that provides anemergency response function, comprising police, ambulance, EMTs,firefighters, etc. The security provider 2008 may be a monitoringservice that notifies other parties such as the vehicle owner in theevent of anomalous states or events associated with the vehicle 104,such as vehicle damage, and unauthorized entry to vehicle 104. Securityprovider 2008 may comprise any private entity that provides securityservices to any of user and/or occupants of vehicle and to vehicleitself, such as a security monitoring company, corporate securitypersonnel, etc.

An embodiment of a method 2100 for detecting and indicating a vehicleintruder is shown in FIG. 21. While a general order for the steps of themethod 2100 is shown in FIG. 21, the method 2100 can include more orfewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than thoseshown in FIG. 21. Generally, the method 2100 starts with a startoperation 2104 and ends with an end operation 2124. The method 2100 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 2100 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-20.

A user 216 may approach vehicle 104 and further may enter vehicle 104.The approaching user 216 may be an authorized user or an unauthorizeduser. The unauthorized user may alternatively be referred to as an“intruder.” A user 216 unidentified or yet determined as to authorizedor unauthorized be referred to as a “potential intruder.” Vehicle 104comprises an interior space 108 and is surrounded by a second zone 112defined by line 120 (see, e.g. FIG. 1). Second zone 112 is defined byone or more vehicle sensors 242.

At step 2108, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense a user 216 (or anypotential intruder, to include, for example, another vehicle, a shoppingcart, an instrument of vandalism such as a rock) that enters second zone112 and/or interior space 108. The vehicle sensors 242 may operate in acontinuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

One or more vehicle sensors 242 may first detect a potential intruder byway of exterior sensors (see e.g. FIG. 7B). For example, a motion sensormay detect movement near the vehicle 104 and/or an infrared sensor maydetect a heat source near the vehicle 104. The definition of “near thevehicle” may be defined by a selectable threshold value. For example, adistance of one foot surrounding the vehicle (i.e. line 120 of FIG. 1)may be defined as a threshold distance. The threshold distance maycomprise a plurality of thresholds, i.e. a first threshold and a secondthreshold wherein different actions are taken. A particular sensor maywork in concert with another sensor to provide guidance and/or activiatethe other sensor. For example, an infrared sensor may detect a heatsource and, by way of the vehicle control system 204, task a radarsensor to range to the infrared sensed location of interest.

In another example, an interior sensor (see e.g. FIG. 7A) may sense apotential intruder in the vehicle 104 by an oxygen sensor. That is, anoxygen sensor may sense a spike or rapid rise in oxygen levels in thevehicle 104, which may indicate a person has entered the vehicle 104.Similarly, an acoustic sensor, mounted either on the vehicle 104 as anexterior sensor or mounted inside the vehicle 104 as an interior sensormay detect a window break, perhaps as effected by an instrument ofvandalism (e.g. a rock). Further, the one or more sensors 242 may sensea person sitting within the vehicle 104. That is, sensors 242 in a seatmay determine or sense that some new amount of weight has beenregistered. The amount of weight may fall within predeterminedparameters (e.g., over a threshold, in a specific range, etc.) totrigger registration or output to the vehicle control system 204.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of a range state parameter from the vehicle 104 toa potential intruder. In a simple case, the vehicle control system 204may solely receive measurements of range from a single radar sensor, andsimple output a running average of the range, e.g. average allmeasurements over the last 1 sec to provide an average range and angledatum. Optionally, the vehicle control system 204 may performestimation, blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter frommultiple sensors such as multiple radar sensors or a combination of aladar/lidar range sensor and a radar sensor. Signal processing of suchsensor signal measurements may comprise stochastic signal processing,adaptive signal processing, and/or other signal processing techniquesknown to those skilled in the art.

At step 2112, the vehicle control system 204 accepts vehicle sensor dataand determines if a potential intruder is in contact with the vehicle104. Recall that a potential intruder i.e. user 216 that is either neara vehicle 104 or inside a vehicle 104, or both, is referred to as “incontact” with the vehicle 104. If no contact is detected, the processreturns to step 2108 wherein vehicle sensors 242 continue to operate andsensor data is received. A potential intruder is determined to be incontact with the vehicle 104 by way of the vehicle control system 204.That is, the vehicle control system 204 accepts sensor inputs, assessesthose sensor inputs, and determines such contact. For example, exteriorvehicle sensors 242 such as an electromagnetic sensor may detect achange in the magnetic field on or surrounding the vehicle 104 such thatthe vehicle control system 204, assessing the electromagnetic sensordata as valid and beyond a selectable threshold, outputs or determinesthat an entity has made contact with the vehicle 104. For example, thatan entity, such as a person, has physically contacted the door handle ofthe vehicle 104.

Similarly, an interior vehicle weight sensor 242 may detect a rise inweight beyond a selectable threshold has been imparted to the driver'sseat. The weight sensor then outputs the measured or sensed weight tothe vehicle control system 204 which provides that a potential intruderis in the vehicle 104. Also, the vehicle control system 204 may alsoassociate the potential intruder is in a certain zone 512 or area 508 ofthe vehicle, i.e the driver's seat. Stated another way, the vehiclesensors 242 output signals to the vehicle control system 204 that anevent has been measured or sensed. These data may then in turn be sentto the vehicle control system processor 304 to determine the zone 512and area 508 where the event occurred.

At step 2116, the vehicle control system 204 determines if the potentialintruder user 216 in contact with the vehicle 104 is an authorized user216. Generally, such an assessment is made by comparing the datareceived from the one or vehicle sensors 242 against profile data 252.Generally, data that is determined to be consistent with that of anauthorized user as characterized in the profile data 252 results in thepotential intruder being deemed an authorized user, and those whose datais determined to be inconsistent with that of any authorized users ascharacterized in the profile data 252 are deemed unauthorized users. Ifthe potential intruder is determined to not be an unauthorized user(i.e. either no determination is made or a determination is made thatthe potential intruder is an authorized user), the process returns tostep 2108 wherein vehicle sensors 242 continue to operate and sensordata is received.

In comparing the received vehicle sensor data 242 of a potentialintruder against data maintained in the profile data 252, the vehiclecontrol system 204 also may record the location of the potentialintruder. That is, the vehicle control system 204 may determine that thepotential intruder is in a certain zone 512 or area 508 based on thesignals sent by the vehicle sensors 242. For example, the sensors 242may send signals to the vehicle control system 204 that an event hasoccurred. This information may be sent to the vehicle control systemprocessor 304 to determine the zone 512 and area 508 where the eventoccurred. Further, the vehicle control system 204 may then identify theperson.

For example, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may comprise one ormore cameras which image the potential intruder user 216. In such afacial recognition system, the vehicle control system 204 then comparesthe image(s) received and compares the image against those of authorizedusers as provided in the profile data 252. If the sensed image is not asufficient match with those identified as authorized users in theprofile data 252, the potential intruder is deemed an unauthorized user.Note that this particular scenario is applicable to images obtained byone or more image sensors mounted externally and/or internally to thevehicle 104. Note that authorized users 216 of a vehicle 104 comprisedrivers, passengers and vehicle mechanics. In another example, thevehicle control system 204, upon querying the profile data 252, maydetermine that there exists only one authorized user of the vehicle(e.g. the vehicle owner) and that one authorized user has not grantedpermission to any other users.

In another example, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may comprisesensors that provide biometric data. That is, the vehicle control system204 may determine that the user is unauthorized based on not recognizingcertain biometric features.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from thesensors 242 and use that information to search the database 1200 thatmay be stored within the system data 208. The sensor data may becompared to ID characteristics 1212 to determine if the person hasalready been identified. The vehicle control system 204 may also sendthe characteristic data from the sensors to the communication network224 to a server 228 to compare the sensor data to stored data 232 thatmay be stored in a cloud system. The person's features can be comparedto stored features 1212 to determine if the person in the vehicle 104can be identified. In this way, these new settings may be ported toother vehicles for the user. Further, the settings in storage system 232may be retrieved, if local storage does not include the settings instorage system 208.

The vehicle control system 204 may also store data, e.g. in stored data232, regarding the potential intruder. Such data may be particularlyvaluable if the potential user is determined to be an unauthorized userand that unauthorized user performs some bad acts with respect tovehicle 104, such as thievery, vandalism and car-jacking.

The degree of consistency required between the data received from theone or more vehicle sensors 242 and that contained in the profile data252 is selectable. For example, if a car driver weight sensor wasprimarily used to determine if the potential intruder was authorized,the vehicle control system 204 may allow a range of weight within ten(10) pounds of the set of authorized users. Also, upon positiveidentification of an authorized user, the vehicle control system 204 mayupdate the profile data 252. In the immediately-preceding example, ifthe weight sensor has recorded the particular authorized user's weightas 187 lb, 3 pounds below the 190 lb value stored in the profile data252, that authorized user's weight is updated to 187 lb. in the profiledata 252.

In step 2120, the vehicle control system 204 takes action in the eventan unauthorized user 216 is determined to be in contact with the vehicle104. The action may comprise providing notice to one or more emergencyagencies 2004 such as police, to a security provider 2008 such as amonitoring service that notifies other parties such as the vehicleowner, and one or more authorized users 2012 to include by way of deviceor user interface 212. The notice or message may be a text message,phone call, email, etc. to the user associated with the vehicle to alertthe user of the intrusion.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn). Further,the step 2124 may include automatically locking an authorized user outof the vehicle 104, for example in the event the user 216 is delinquentin payments or has excessive parking tickets, or if a crime is on-going(e.g. a suspect actively in pursuit of a car to carjack) the authorizeduser could be automatically locked in the vehicle 104. Also, if vehiclecontrol system 204 determines that an unauthorized user has entered thevehicle 104 and attempting the carjack the vehicle 104, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may disable the vehicle 104 and contact emergencyagency 2004 and/or security provider 2008. The method 2100 ends at step2124.

A vehicle may provide methods and systems for vehicle damage detection,identification and communication. Specifically, a method to detectdamage to a vehicle, identify the extent and location of the damage, andcommunicate the damage event is provided. In the event of damage to avehicle, the system may take a number of actions. In one embodiment, theactions comprise notifying authorized users of the vehicle, amaintenance provider, an insurance provider and/or an emergency agency,disabling the vehicle, and emitting a visual or audio alarm.

A vehicle may detect that damage has occurred to the vehicle. Thisdetection may be based on sensors associated with the vehicle and/orwith a mobile device. In one example, a valet may cause damage to avehicle while parking it in a lot. In response, the vehicle may takeaction by sending a message (e.g., text message, phone call, email,etc.) to the user associated with the vehicle to alert the user of thedamage. In another example, the vehicle may indicate damage via analtered lighting scheme (e.g., flashing DRLs, hazard lights, interiorlighting color and/or behavior, etc.), an alarm (e.g., audible and/orvisual), terminated functions, and the like.

FIG. 22 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle damage detection andidentification system 2200. Vehicle 104 is shown in communication withelements as disclosed above, i.e. vehicle sensors 242, non-vehiclesensors 236, communication network 224 and vehicle control system 204. Ahazard 2204 is depicted in communication with the vehicle 104. Thehazard 2204 may be, for example, a pothole, another vehicle, a vandal,or other entity that may cause damage to vehicle 104 to include naturalhazards like hail. The hazard 2204 may be fixed or moveable. Damage tovehicle 104 is detected by vehicle sensors 242.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense damage to vehicle 242as associated with a particular location of vehicle 104 associated withone or more areas 508. See FIGS. 5A-C. Upon detection of vehicle damage,the vehicle control system 204 may train vehicle sensors 242 to thesurrounding area of vehicle damage, and/or record and train as possiblenon-vehicle sensors 236 to the surrounding area. Such on-site sensing ofthe potential cause of the vehicle damage benefits in several ways, toinclude liability determination and insurance claims. Hazard 2204 may bedetected by one or more vehicle sensors 242 comprising external vehiclesensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236. Upon detection or sensing ofvehicle damage, the vehicle control system 204 may take any of severalactions. The action may comprise providing notice to one or moreemergency agencies 2004 such as police, to a security provider 2008 suchas a monitoring service that notifies other parties such as the vehicleowner, and one or more authorized users 2012 to include by way of deviceor user interface 212. Alternatively or additionally, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may disable the vehicle and/or provide an alarm 2016,to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing of headlights) and audioalarm alert (e.g. honking of horn), contact a maintenance provider 2208so as to order repair parts, and contact an insurance provider 2212 tobeing the claim adjustment process. Also, the vehicle control system 204may record vehicle damage data and/or hazard data on profile data 252associated with the user 216 of vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 2300 for detecting and identifying vehicledamage is shown in FIG. 23. While a general order for the steps of themethod 2300 is shown in FIG. 23, the method 2300 can include more orfewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than thoseshown in FIG. 23. Generally, the method 2300 starts with a startoperation 2304 and ends with an end operation 2320. The method 2300 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 2300 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-22.

At step 2308, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense damage to vehicle104. Damage is broadly defined as any unexpected change in condition orstate of any portion of vehicle 104, to include the physical exteriorsurface (i.e. “skin” of the vehicle”) and all portions within thephysical exterior, i.e. the interior space 108. The vehicle sensors 242may operate in a continuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a setor selectable sampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remoteentity such as a third-party security provider.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect bodydamage comprise vehicle external sensors such as external safety groupsensors 716E. That is, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may compriseforce sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors776, vehicle body sensors 782, vibration sensors, electromagnetic fieldsensors, and acoustic sensors. The one or more vehicle sensors 242 areconfigured to detect damage to vehicle 104 and/or identify its location.It one embodiment, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may provide ameasure of the degree of damage to vehicle 104.

In one example, hazard 2204 may be another vehicle which impacts vehicle104. Force sensors 768 sense and measure the impact, or G-force,imparted to vehicle 104 and output a signal identifying a force exceededa selectable threshold. Further, the approximate location of the damageis known based on the location of the force sensor 768. That is, if theforce sensor 768 provides a 3-dimensional vector measurement of force,the location of the hazard impact may be determined given other knowngeometries (i.e. the vehicle geometries). Mechanical motion sensors 772such as accelerometers may similarly measure and sense the impact from ahazard 2204. Orientation sensors 776, such as accelerometers,gyroscopes, magnetic sensors may also detect a change in orientation ofthe vehicle, either momentary or permanent, that indicates impact ofvehicle 104 with hazard 2204.

The vehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measurecharacteristics associated with the body (e.g., body panels, components,chassis, windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, a vehicle bodysensor 782 may be located in the rear bumper area of vehicle 104. Uponcontact by a hazard 2204 such as another vehicle above a selectablethreshold the vehicle body sensor 782 provides an output signal. Forexample, the vehicle body sensor 782 might be calibrated to provide asignal if a force at or above five (5) pounds is measured, or if anacceleration above 1 foot/sec is measured. The location of the vehiclebody sensor 782 provides an indication of the location of the damage tovehicle 104. The value measured provides an indication of the degree ofdamage to vehicle 104.

The external safety group sensors 716E may be located in an interiorspace 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 may also identify the locationand/or degree of damage to vehicle 104. That is, the sensor arrangement500 can include one or more areas 508 within the vehicle. An area can bea larger part of the environment inside or outside of the vehicle 104.Thus, area one 508A may include the area within the trunk space orengine space of the vehicle 104 and/or the front passenger compartment.Area two 508B may include a portion of the interior space 108 (e.g., apassenger compartment, etc.) of the vehicle 104. The area N, 508N, mayinclude the trunk space or rear compartment area, when included withinthe vehicle 104. The interior space 108 may also be divided into otherareas. Thus, one area may be associated with the front passenger's anddriver's seats, a second area may be associated with the middlepassengers' seats, and a third area may be associated with a rearpassenger's seat. Each area 508 may include one or more vehicle sensors242 that are positioned or operate to provide environmental informationabout that area 508.

Each area 508 may be further separated into one or more zones 512 withinthe area 508. For example, area 1 508A may be separated into zone A512A, and zone B 512B. Each zone 512 may be associated with a particularportion of the interior occupied by a passenger. For example, zone A512A may be associated with a driver. Zone B 512B, may be associatedwith a front passenger. Each zone 512 may include one or more sensorsthat are positioned or configured to collect information about theenvironment or ecosystem associated with that zone or person. As such,one or more vehicle sensors 242 may associate a sensed signal, e.g. aforce sensor may register an 11 pound impact to the driver's side windowwhile a vibration sensor registers a corresponding spike in vibration,with a particular identified area of the vehicle via the labeling schemediscussed, i.e. associated with zone 512A (driver).

Associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that areassociated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previouslystated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets,laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that thevarious sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employedby the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phonecan include, an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more.These associated device sensors 720 may be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 to detect and/or identify damage to vehicle 104.

Optionally, the exterior safety sensors 716E may be configured tocollect data relating to one or more conditions, objects, vehiclecomponents, and other events that are external to the vehicle 104. Forinstance, the force sensors 768 in the external safety group 716E maydetect and/or record force information associated with the outside of avehicle 104. For instance, if an object strikes the exterior of thevehicle 104, the force sensors 768 from the exterior safety group 716Emay determine a magnitude, location, and/or time associated with thestrike.

At step 2312, the vehicle control system 204 accepts vehicle sensor 242data and determines if a damage incident has occurred to vehicle 104. Ifno damage has occurred, the process returns to step 2308 wherein vehiclesensors 242 continue to operate and sensor data is received. Vehiclecontrol system 204 determines a damage incident has occurred byassessing the received signals or measurements from the one or morevehicle sensors 242. That is, the vehicle control system 204 acceptssensor inputs, assesses those sensor inputs, and determines if themeasurement is indicative of damage to the vehicle 104. For example, avehicle body sensor 782 may be located in the roof of vehicle 104. Uponcontact by a hazard 2204, such as half-inch sized hail, above aselectable threshold the vehicle body sensor 782 provides an outputsignal. For example, the vehicle body sensor 782 might be calibrated toprovide a signal if a force at or above five (3) pounds is measured, orif an acceleration above 0.5 foot/sec is measured, or a displacement ofmore than one-quarter inch is detected. The location of the vehicle bodysensor 782 provides an indication of the location of the damage tovehicle 104. The value measured provides an indication of the degree ofdamage to vehicle 104. The vehicle sensor 242 would also provide alocation of the damage, with respect to a certain zone 512 or area 508of the vehicle, i.e the vehicle roof. Stated another way, the vehiclesensors 242 output signals to the vehicle control system 204 that anevent (vehicle damage) has been measured or sensed. These data may thenin turn be sent to the vehicle control system processor 304 to determinethe zone 512 and area 508 where the event occurred.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of a range state parameter from the vehicle 104 toa potential intruder. In a simple case, the vehicle control system 204may solely receive measurements of range from a single force sensor, andsimple output a running average of the range, e.g. average allmeasurements over the last 1 sec to provide an average force value.Optionally, the vehicle control system 204 may perform estimation,blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter from multiple sensorssuch as multiple force sensors. Signal processing of such sensor signalmeasurements may comprise stochastic signal processing, adaptive signalprocessing, and/or other signal processing techniques known to thoseskilled in the art.

At step 2316, upon detection or sensing of vehicle damage, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may take any of several actions. The action maycomprise providing notice to one or more emergency agencies 2004 such aspolice, to a security provider 2008 such as a monitoring service thatnotifies other parties such as the vehicle owner, and one or moreauthorized users 2012 to include by way of device or user interface 212.Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle and/or provide an alarm 2016, to include a visualalarm alert (e.g. flashing of headlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g.honking of horn), contact a maintenance provider 2208 so as to orderrepair parts, and contact an insurance provider 2212 to being the claimadjustment process. Also, the vehicle control system 204 may recordvehicle damage data and/or hazard data on profile data 252 associatedwith the user 216 of vehicle 104.

Upon detection of vehicle damage, the vehicle control system 204 mayfurther train vehicle sensors 242 to the surrounding area of vehicledamage, and/or record and train as possible non-vehicle sensors 236 tothe surrounding area. Such on-site sensing of the potential cause of thevehicle damage benefits in several ways, to include liabilitydetermination and insurance claims. Hazard 2204 may be detected by oneor more vehicle sensors 242 comprising external sensors and non-vehiclesensors 236.

One or more vehicle sensors 242 may first detect a potential hazard byway of exterior sensors (see e.g. FIGS. 7B and 22). For example, amotion sensor may detect movement near the vehicle 104 and/or aninfrared sensor may detect a heat source near the vehicle 104. Thedefinition of “near the vehicle” may be defined by a selectablethreshold value. For example, a distance of ten feet surrounding thevehicle (i.e. line 120 of FIG. 1) may be defined as a thresholddistance. The threshold distance may comprise a plurality of thresholds,i.e. a first threshold and a second threshold wherein different actionsare taken. A particular sensor may work in concert with another sensorto provide guidance and/or activiate the other sensor. For example, anacoustic sensor may detect that the driver's side window has beenshattered and, by way of the vehicle control system 204, task an imagesensor to image the area near the driver's side door (to, for example,image the source of the shattered window, such as a vandal).

Hazard is broadly defined as any entity that is cause for damage tovehicle 104. The hazard 2204 may be, for example, a pothole, anothervehicle, a vandal, or other entity that may cause damage to vehicle 104to include natural hazards like hail. Non-vehicle sensors 236, such asreal-time weather monitoring, real-time monitoring of traffic conditionsor surveillance data such as provided by aerial drones, may be accessedand received by vehicle control system 204 to guide one or more vehiclesensors 242 to a targeted measurement. For example, an aerial drone mayprovide information that vehicle break-ins have recently occurred nearthe vehicle 104 and provide and location of such break-ins, therebytriggering the vehicle control system 204 to train or guide an imagesensor toward the location of the near-by break-in. In such a manner, aproactive approach to sensing (and optionally recording) a hazard isprovided before a damage incident ensues.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from thesensors 242 and use that information to search the database 1200 thatmay be stored within the system data 208. The sensor data may becompared to maintenance data of vehicle 104 to enable a determination ofrepair parameters associated with the damage. For example,identification of damage to the rear quarter panel for vehicle 104allows vehicle maintenance data to be accessed to determine the partnumber of the rear quarter panel that would be needed as a replacementpart. Furthermore, the vehicle control system 204 may then provide suchdata to a maintenance provider 2208 to provide a price/schedule quote touser 216 to effect the repair. Also, the vehicle control system 204 mayalso provide such data to an insurance provider 2212 to initiate claimprocedures. The user 216 may then interact with one or both ofmaintenance provider 2208 and insurance provider 2212 via user interface212 to approve the repair and/or agree to insurance claim resolution.Further, the identified damage and terms thereof may be recorded toprofile data 252.

The vehicle control system 204 may also store data regarding the damage.Such data may be particularly valuable if the damage is determined to bethe result of an uncooperative entity, such as a vandal, thief, orhit-and-run driver.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn). Also, thevehicle control system 204 may record vehicle damage data and/or hazarddata on profile data 252 associated with the user 216 of vehicle 104.The method 2300 ends at step 2320.

Optionally, in one embodiment the circumstances of damage to a vehicleare recorded, for example on stored data 232, to provide for moreinstantaneous, more accurate and more comprehensive damageinvestigation, failure analysis, and criminal guilt and/or civilliability investigation. For example, in the event of a vehicle damageincident due to a hit-and-run driver, comprehensive definition of thecircumstances prior, during and sometimes after the incident arerecorded, and may be communicated to authorities (e.g. police, insuranceprovider). For example, such accident data may comprise vehicle type,speed, imagery associated with the hit-and-run offender, site data toinclude immediate surroundings (which might, for example, providewitnesses to the event).

A vehicle may provide methods and systems for vehicle maintenance andwarranty compliance detection and communication. Specifically, a methodto monitor the compliance of a user with vehicle maintenance andoperating requirements and vehicle warranty terms is provided. In theevent a user is not in compliance with a vehicle maintenance item,vehicle operation condition or warranty term, the system may take anumber of actions. In one embodiment, the actions comprise notifying amaintenance provider, an insurance provider and a warranty provider. Thesystem may also maintain a historical user compliance database to enableidentification and documentation of user compliance for one or morevehicles.

For example, a vehicle may determine if regular maintenance visits aremade in accordance with recommended practices. The vehicle may determinewhether an unreasonable action (e.g., reckless driving, texting whiledriving, etc.) caused damage to the vehicle. This determination may beused by vehicle manufacturers, insurance companies, warranty companies,and the like to enforce and police current warranty/maintenance contractprovisions.

Furthermore, the determinations made in the aforementioned embodimentsmay be stored and associated with a vehicle and/or a user. For instance,if a user routinely fails to make maintenance visits, and causes damageto vehicles, the user may be restricted from certain rental agreements,insurance benefits, etc. The information may be stored to a centralrepository to track user behavior for insurance risks and predictions ofrisk. In other words, the information may be used to form a “user-based”Carfax® (or Driverfax) information system. However, instead of factsrelated to a specific vehicle, the user-based system may include factsrelated to specific user or driver. Details may include “driver has beenarrested for driving under the influence,” “driver was cited for textingwhile driving,” “driver has been warned for driving without fastenedrestraint,” “driver has been involved in four car accidents,” “driverhas been addicted to drugs,” and the like.

Non-vehicle sensors, such as GPS, may recognize potentially dangerousscenarios and modify a vehicle's functions accordingly. For example, GPSrecognizes that the car has been parked in front of a bar for too longand requires a breathalyzer to start the car. In another example, GPSand weather conditions from the interne lock the maximum speed below 50mph. Also, GPS and weather conditions may automatically change the tirepressure to maximize road gripping potential.

FIG. 24 depicts a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehiclemaintenance and warranty compliance detection environment (herein alsotermed “compliance system”) 2400. The compliance system 2400 maycomprise warranty data 2404, maintenance data 2408, historical usercompliance data 2412, vehicle control system 204, profile data 252, user216, an insurance provider module 2212, a warranty provider module 2414,vehicle subsystems 328, vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236.Vehicle control system 204, user 216, vehicle subsystems 328, vehiclesensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236 may communicate over a networkor bus 356. This communication bus 356 may be bidirectional and performdata communications using any known or future-developed standard orprotocol. An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 4. Other components communicate via communicationnetwork 224. As one example of the later communication, the warrantyprovider module 2414 and/or the insurance provider 2212, aside fromcommunicating with each other via communication network 224, maycommunicate with vehicle sensors 242, and/or non-vehicle sensors via 236via the vehicle 104.

Hereinafter, the compliance system 2400 shall be explained withreference to the systems, components, modules, software, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS.1-23.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense the status andoperation of vehicle subsystems 328 as associated with a particular user216. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 104. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc. These systems are well known in the art andwill not be described further.

Warranty data 2408 contains data associated with a particular user 216and mapped to a particular vehicle 104 regarding, for example, the levelof compliance agreed upon between warranty provider 2414 and user 216for that particular vehicle 104. Warranty is defined as a guarantee orpromise that if the user (e.g. car driver, the “obligee”) meets certainrequirements, the other party (the “obligor”) will provide something ofvalue. For example, the warranty data 2408 may contain terms andconditions of the original vehicle manufacturer as to replacement orrepair of defective vehicle components. Terms and conditions may includea restriction as to owner (i.e. a particular item may only be covered ifthe vehicle is owned by the original purchaser), vehicle mileage, or notexceeded a maximum RPM and/or speed. The promise by the obligator may befree repair or replacement or 50% discount on the same.

Maintenance data 2408 includes data defining required and recommendedmaintenance items for a particular vehicle and compliance with same. Forexample, the maintenance data 2408 may identify that a timing beltinspection is required every 10,000 miles. Continuing this example, thewarranty data 2408 may define that an owner who misses any requiredrepair will void all aspects of its warranty. Maintenance data 2408 mayinclude different levels of requirements, i.e. an oil change may berecommended every 5,000 miles but required every 10,000 miles. Uponcompletion of a particular maintenance item, the maintenance data 2408is updated to document the completion, e.g. the date when the item wascompleted and the service provider performing the maintenance item. Suchan update to maintenance data 2408 may be automatically provided via thecommunication bus 356 to warranty provider 2414 and may also update thehistorical user compliance data 2412.

The historical user compliance data 2412 maintains data associated witha particular user 216 as to their compliance with maintenance data itemsand/or warranty data items. For example, the dates of tune-ups andidentification of entity who performed the tune-up are stored. Thehistorical user compliance data 2412 may categorize data according tospecific vehicle 104.

Profile data 252 is as described above but may also comprise datadescribing user 216 conformance with vehicle operation performance andconduct. For example, a particular user 216 may be under a drivingrestriction to not drive at night due to eye sight problems. Deviationsfrom this restriction (i.e. dates, times, location) are recorded inprofile data 252.

Insurance Provider 2212 is as described above. Insurance provider 2212may communicate with profile data 252 to investigate user 216conformance with user's stated policy data, e.g. amount of driving doneper year. That is, a user 216 may attest that he drives 5,000 miles peryear yet the profile data 252 records driving over 10,000 miles peryear. Such a data discrepancy would enable insurance provider 2414 toquery user 216 as to the discrepancy, perhaps resulting in an insurancepremium adjustment.

Warranty provider 2414 may communicate with historical user compliancedata 2412 to investigate user 216 conformance with warranty terms andconditions. For example, a car manufacturer may warrant that if the carowner maintains a car to the required maintenance standards defined bythe car manufacturer, the car manufacturer will replace certain carparts if they fail within a certain amount of time. A common suchwarranty is to the car powertrain, wherein if the car owner regularlymaintains the car as defined by performing all regular maintenance (e.g.oil change every 10,000 miles, etc.) and a component of the powertrain(engine, transmission, drivetrain) needs repair or replacement within100,000 miles, the car manufacturer will repair or replace the componentfree of charge. A car is said to be “out of warranty” when anyrequirement of the warranty has not been met, e.g. the car is beyond100,000 miles.

In another example, user 216 may own two cars, each with different typesof warranties. The first car, while out of warranty (that is devoid ofany warranty requirements) due to high mileage from the originalmanufacturer, is under warranty from another party, i.e. warrantyprovider 2414. Specifically, the user 216 has entered a contract for awarranty for the brake system. Warranty provider 2414 requires the carowner 216 to obtain annual brake inspections and to never allow thebrake pads to drop below 10% remaining wear. If these conditions aremet, the warranty provider 2414 will repair the brakes for a flat fee.If either condition is not met, the brake pads will repaired but at ahigher price.

Authorized monitor 2418 may comprise a legal or police authorityenforcing terms placed on a user 216. For example, the user 216 may beunder supervision after a DUI conviction that mandates alcohol bloodlevel monitoring. A vehicle sensors 242, such as a blood alcohol metermounted on the steering wheel or enabled by sampling interior vehicleair, may provide a measure of user 216 alcohol level. These data may beprovided to authorized monitor 2418.

Any of insurance provider 2212, warranty provider 2414 and authorizedmonitor 2418 may make queries of other elements of compliance system2400 via communication bus 356. For example, a warranty provider 2414may send a signal to a vehicle 104 by way of communication network 224to determine a warranty compliance status, i.e. whether a particularuser 216 is in compliance with a particular term of a warranty. Inresponse to receiving the signal as passed via communication bus 356,the vehicle control system 204 performs a query of the warranty data2404 and/or historical user compliance data 2412 to determine the statussought. Once the warranty status check is performed, the information maybe sent via the vehicle control system 204 to the warranty provider2414.

The data stored in any of profile data 252, warranty data 2404,maintenance data 2408 and/or historical user compliance data 2412 may bestructured and configured with data structure of the type previouslydiscussed, e.g. FIGS. 12A-D. For example, the health status 1278 mayinclude any type of information related to a state of the systems toinclude the warranty compliance data and maintenance data discussed. Forinstance, an operational condition, manufacturing date, update status,revision information, time in operation, fault status, state of damagedetected, inaccurate data reporting, and other types of component/systemhealth status data may be obtained and stored in portion 1278.

One or more warnings may be stored in portion 1286. The warnings data1286 may include warning generated by the vehicle 104 (e.g. “oil changerequired within next 500 miles”), systems of the vehicle 104 (e.g.“brake pads now at 80% wear”), manufacturer of the vehicle, federalagency, third party, and/or a user associated with the vehicle. Forexample, several components of the vehicle may provide health statusinformation (e.g., stored in portion 1278) that, when consideredtogether, may suggest that the vehicle 104 has suffered some type ofdamage and/or failure. Recognition of this damage and/or failure may bestored in the warnings data portion 1286. The data in portion 1286 maybe communicated to one or more parties (e.g., a manufacturer,maintenance facility, user, insurance provider 2212, warranty provider2414, etc.). In another example, a manufacturer may issue a recallnotification for a specific vehicle 104, system of a vehicle 104, and/ora component of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the recallnotification may be stored in the warning data field 1286. Continuingthis example, the recall notification may then be communicated to theuser of the vehicle 104 notifying the user of the recall issued by themanufacturer.

Vehicle subsystems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 100. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc. as known to those skilled in the art. Vehiclesubsystems 328 may provide a status signal via communication bus 356 touser 216 indicating that a required maintenance item is recommended(e.g. the vehicle 104 is 500 miles from a required oil change) and/orprovide an out-of-maintenance indicator to historical user compliancedata 2412 and/or warranty provider 2414 indicating that a requiredmaintenance item was not met (e.g. brakes pads have worn down beyond aselectable threshold).

Vehicle sensors 242 may include one or more sensors for providinginformation to the vehicle control system 204 that determine or provideinformation about the vehicle subsystems 328 of the vehicle 104 operatedby user 216. For example, a stress or strain gauge sensor attached to aportion of the vehicle frame of vehicle 104 may sense an amount ofstress or strain, respectively, on vehicle frame. If the sensed stressor strain is outside of a selectable range, a warning signal may be sentto the user 216.

Non-vehicle sensor 236 can be any type of sensor that is not currentlyassociated with the vehicle 104 yet useful in enabling or facilitatingoperations or functions of a vehicle maintenance and warranty compliancedetection environment. For example, non-vehicle sensor 236 can besensors that aid in monitoring endeavors of the authorized monitor 2418with respect to the user 216. For example, a particular user 216 may beunder license suspension for illegal street racing. An authorizedmonitor, e.g. a probation officer, may be able to monitor movements ofvehicle 104 through a GPS tracker attached to vehicle 104 so to benoticed if the vehicle 104 approaches known street-racing sites.Further, the non-vehicle sensor(s) 236 can be other types of sensorswhich provide information about the distant environment 116 or otherinformation about the vehicle 104 or the environment 100. Thesenon-vehicle sensors 236 may be operated by third parties but provideinformation to the vehicle control system 204. Examples of informationprovided by the sensors 236 and that may be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 may include weather tracking data, traffic data, user healthtracking data, vehicle maintenance data, or other types of data, whichmay provide environmental or other data to the vehicle control system204.

The vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236 may operate in acontinuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

An embodiment of a method 2500 for vehicle maintenance and warrantycompliance detection is shown in FIG. 25.

While a general order for the steps of the method 2500 is shown in FIG.25, the method 2500 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange theorder of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 25. Generally,the method 2500 starts with a start operation 2504 and ends with an endoperation 2524. The method 2500 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method2500 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-24.

At step 2508, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense a state or conditionof one or more vehicle subsystems 328 and/or conditions of user 216. Forexample, an oil change monitor sensor may measure mileage of vehicle 104since last oil change, and provide an alert or notice as a selectableoil change threshold is approached. That is, the oil change monitorsensor may be set to monitor oil changes every 5,000 miles and provide asignal when 4,500 miles has been reached.

At step 2512, the identity of user 216 is determined. Generally, such anidentification is made by comparing the data received from the one orvehicle sensors 242 against profile data 252. The identification of auser 216 by way of vehicle sensors 242 has been previously described andwill not be repeated here. Once the identity of the user 216 isdetermined, profile data 252 is accessed to determine user-specificparameters such as warranty terms and conditions, insurance terms andconditions, and any authorized monitors with associated terms andconditions. For example, a particular user 216 may have an insurancepolicy with a particular insurance provider 2414 which restricts vehicleoperation to non-highway driving, a warranty with warranty provider 2414that requires oil changes every 5,000 miles, and an authorized monitor(e.g. probation officer) that requires user 216 to abstain fromconsuming alcohol and visiting a bar.

At step 2516, a determination as to whether the user 216 is incompliance with vehicle operating terms is made. For example, continuingthe above scenario regarding required oil changes every 5,000 miles, ifone or more vehicle sensors 242 determine that a required oil change hasbeen missed by user 216, a signal indicating such is sent to vehiclecontrol system 204. The vehicle control system 204 then queries warrantydata 2404 to determine the terms of warranty that user 216 has withwarranty provider 2414. If vehicle control system 204 determines thatindeed user 216 has missed a required oil change as required bywarranty, a determination is made that user 216 is out of compliancewith the warranty with warranty provider 2414. If instead vehiclecontrol system 204 determines that user 216 is not out of compliancewith the terms of warranty of warranty provider 2414, then the methodreturns to receive sensor data of step 2508. For example, an oil changemonitor sensor may measure mileage of vehicle 104 since last oil change,and provide an alert or notice as a selectable oil change threshold isapproached. That is, the oil change monitor sensor may be set to monitoroil changes every 5,000 miles and provide a signal when 4,500 miles hasbeen reached.

At step 2520, the vehicle control system 204 takes action in the event adetermination is made at step 2516 that user 216 is out of compliancewith a vehicle operating term, such as a warranty with warranty provider2414. Continuing the oil change example, the vehicle control system 204may take several actions, to include providing notice to user 216comprising via user interface 212, updating historical user compliancedata 2412 and/or maintenance data to document the non-compliance event,and noticing the warranty provider 2414. The notice or message towarranty provider 2414 and/or user 216 may be a text message, phonecall, email, etc. to the user associated with the vehicle to alert theuser of the intrusion.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn) forcertain types or categories of non-compliance. For example, a user 216determined to be drunk may result in the vehicle 104 being disabledand/or automatically locking an authorized user out of the vehicle 104.The method 2100 ends at step 2524.

The vehicle may also provide methods and systems for the automaticcommunication of damage and health of users in detected vehicleincidents. Specifically, a method to monitor the health of occupants anddetect and identify any occupants experiencing a medical anomaly may beprovided. In the event a medical anomaly is detected within a vehicle,the system may take a number of actions. In one embodiment, the actionscomprise notifying health care providers and emergency personnel orpolice, communicating accident data, and emitting a visual or audioalarm.

More specifically, for example, a vehicle may automatically assess thehealth of vehicle occupants in the event of an accident or incident(road rage, shooting, loud noises internal and/or external to thevehicle, etc.). Further, the vehicle may determine number of peopleinvolved, vital signs, images from within the vehicle (e.g., viacameras), blackbox type data (e.g., speed at impact, g-forces subjectedto vehicle and occupants, time of day, time since impact, time/length ofimpact, etc.), and communicate data to EMS, Police, Insurance co.,mobile phones and other linked devices. Automatic crash reporting forpolice and insurance reports may be provided; as such, no recreation ofthe crash required or interviewing of witnesses. Instead, time-stampedGPS data and black-box recordings of the cars involved will paint thewhole picture. Furthermore, automatic damage/health assessment in thecase of a car crash may be provided; not just location, but theautomatic transmission of data to the EMS and police; e.g. number ofpeople in the car, vitals, images from dashboard camera, blackbox datasuch as speed at impact, etc.

FIG. 26 depicts an embodiment of a system for the automaticcommunication of damage and health of users in detected vehicleincidents (herein also termed “user health system”) 2600. Vehicle 104 isshown in communication with several elements, i.e. vehicle sensors 242,non-vehicle sensors 236, communication network 224, vehicle controlsystem 204 and users 216, one of which is equipped with wearable devices802, 806, 810. The user health system 2600 may comprise profile data252, a health provider module 2604, emergency agency module 2004,maintenance provider 2208, alarm 2016, authorized user 2340 and deviceor user interface 212 and stored data 232. The afore-mentionedcomponents may communicate over a communication network 224. As oneexample of the communication, one or more of wearable devices 802, 806,810 of a particular user 216 may detect a health anomaly regarding user216 and communicate via communication network 224 to emergency agency2004 that EMS is required to aid user 216.

Hereinafter, the compliance system 2600 shall be explained withreference to the systems, components, modules, software, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS.1-25.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense the status andoperation of vehicle 104 comprising vehicle subsystems 328. Vehiclesystems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 104. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc. These systems are well known in the art andwill not be described further.

Non-vehicle sensor 236 can be any type of sensor that is not currentlyassociated with the vehicle 104 yet useful in enabling or facilitatingoperations or functions of a user health system 2600. For example,non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors that record weather condition,road condition, and/or circumstances present during a designated vehicle104 event. For example, in the event user 216 is involved in a trafficaccident, the vehicle control system 204 may be tasked to record and/ortake action of the event. The take action may include recording the roadconditions as provided by, for example, a weather service provider. Theroad conditions may comprise humidity, precipitation present,temperature, visibility and special or unusual conditions such as deerroadway crossings reported in the vicinity. Further, the non-vehiclesensor(s) 236 can be other types of sensors which provide informationabout the distant environment 116 or other information about the vehicle104 or the environment 100. These non-vehicle sensors 236 may beoperated by third parties but provide information to the vehicle controlsystem 204. Examples of information provided by the sensors 236 and thatmay be used by the vehicle control system 204 may include weathertracking data, traffic data, user health tracking data, vehiclemaintenance data, or other types of data, which may provideenvironmental or other data to the vehicle control system 204.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense damage to vehicle 242as associated with a particular location of vehicle 104 associated withone or more areas 508. See FIGS. 5A-C. Upon detection of vehicle damage,the vehicle control system 204 may train vehicle sensors 242 to thesurrounding area of vehicle damage, and/or record and train as possiblenon-vehicle sensors 236 to the surrounding area. Such on-site sensing ofthe potential cause of the vehicle damage benefits in several ways, toinclude liability determination and insurance claims. Upon detection orsensing of vehicle damage, the vehicle control system 204 may take anyof several actions. The action may comprise providing notice to one ormore emergency agencies 2004 such as police, to a security provider 2008such as a monitoring service that notifies other parties such as thevehicle owner, health provider 2604, and/or one or more authorized users2012 to include by way of device or user interface 212. Alternatively oradditionally, the vehicle control system 204 may disable the vehicleand/or provide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g.flashing of headlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn),contact a maintenance provider 2208 so as to order repair parts, andcontact an insurance provider 2212 to being the claim adjustmentprocess. Also, the vehicle control system 204 may record vehicle damagedata and/or hazard data on profile data 252 associated with the user 216of vehicle 104.

Health status or state data of a particular user 216 may be measured byseveral means, comprising vehicle sensors 242 and wearable devices 802,806, 810. Wearable device 802, 806, 810 may include heart rate monitors,blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors, pedometers, movement sensors,wearable computers, and the like. Examples of wearable computers may beworn by a user 216 and configured to measure user activity, determineenergy spent based on the measured activity, track user sleep habits,determine user oxygen levels, monitor heart rate, provide alarmfunctions, and more. It is anticipated that the wearable devices 802,806, 810 can communicate with the user/device interaction subsystem 817via wireless communications channels or direct connection (e.g., wherethe device docks, or connects, with a USB port or similar interface ofthe vehicle 104). The wearable sensors may communicate with vehiclecontrol system 204 and/or sensor module 814 (See FIG. 8B) which may beconfigured to receive and/or interpret input provided by one or moresensors in the vehicle 104. In some cases, the sensors may be associatedwith one or more user devices (e.g., wearable devices 802, 806, 810,smart phones 212, mobile computing devices 212, 248, and the like).Optionally, the sensors may be associated with the vehicle 104, asdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B.

Other sensors may be included and positioned in the interior space 108of the vehicle 104. Generally, these interior sensors obtain data aboutthe health of the one or more users 216 (e.g. driver and/orpassenger(s)), data about the safety of the driver and/or passenger(s),and/or data about the comfort of the driver and/or passenger(s). Thehealth data sensors can include sensors in the steering wheel that canmeasure various health telemetry for the person (e.g., heart rate,temperature, blood pressure, blood presence, blood composition, etc.).Sensors in the seats may also provide for health telemetry (e.g.,presence of liquid, weight, weight shifts, etc.). Infrared sensors coulddetect a person's temperature; optical sensors can determine a person'sposition and whether the person has become unconscious. Safety sensorscan measure whether the person is acting safely. Optical sensors candetermine a person's position and focus. Sensors in the seats may detectif a person is leaning forward or may be injured by a seat belt in acollision. Such sensors may aid emergency responders in determining thehealth of potentially injured users 216 in the event of an accident. Forexample, if a sensor definitively determines that a particular occupanthas received fatal injuries, emergency personnel may then focus solelyon remaining occupants who may be injured or in need of rescue.

Vehicle sensors 242 may comprise one or more of optical, or image,sensors 622A-B (e.g., cameras, etc.), motion sensors 624A-B (e.g.,utilizing RF, IR, and/or other sound/image sensing, etc.), steeringwheel user sensors 642 (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure,sweat, health, etc.), seat sensors 677 (e.g., weight, load cell,moisture, electrical, force transducer, etc.), safety restraint sensors679 (e.g., seatbelt, airbag, load cell, force transducer, etc.),interior sound receivers 692A-B, environmental sensors 694 (e.g.,temperature, humidity, air, oxygen, etc.), and the like. The imagesensors 622A-B may be used alone or in combination to identify objects,users 216, and/or other features, inside the vehicle 104. Such imagesmay assist emergency responders in understanding circumstances of avehicle accident regarding users 216. For example, a determination maybe made that a particular user 216 has a leg caught under a damaged seatthat is compacting the leg, thus not allowing the user 216 to egress thevehicle 104.

The vehicle 104 may include one or more motion sensors 624A-B. Thesemotion sensors 624A-B may detect motion and/or movement of objectsinside the vehicle 104. Optionally, the motion sensors 624A-B may beused alone or in combination to detect movement. Interior soundreceivers 692A-B may include, but are not limited to, microphones andother types of acoustic-to-electric transducers or sensors. Optionally,the interior sound receivers 692A-B may be configured to receive andconvert sound waves into an equivalent analog or digital signal. Theinterior sound receivers 692A-B may serve to determine one or morelocations associated with various sounds in the vehicle 104. Such motionand sound sensors may allow emergency responders to triage thoseinvolved in a vehicle accident by identifying those, for example,fatally injured from those not fatally injured.

Vehicle sensors 242 may comprise sensors to measure heart rate to sensearrhythmias, to detect heart attacks or seizures which may prompt thetaking of corrective actions for example stopping the car, and sensorsthat link to health provider 2604 (to include a medical professional soauthorized by user 216) to enable assessment of health condition andwell-being. One or more vehicle sensors 242 may be linked with externalentities that enable more sophisticated interpretation and/or diagnosisof health condition given sensor readings of user health state.

Vehicle sensors 242 may also serve a monitoring function in addition tothe afore-mentioned functions in the event of a vehicle accident. Thatis, during routine driving operations the vehicle sensors 242 maymonitor and alert, as necessary, in the event a user 216 experiences ahealth anomaly. For example, health telemetry and other data may becollected via the steering wheel user sensors 642. Optionally, thesteering wheel user sensors 642 may collect heart rate, temperature,blood pressure, and the like, associated with a user 216 via at leastone contact disposed on or about the steering wheel 640. Similarly,biometric sensors 756 may be employed to identify and/or recordcharacteristics associated with a user 216. Biometric sensors 756 caninclude at least one of image sensors, IR sensors, fingerprint readers,weight sensors, load cells, force transducers, heart rate monitors,blood pressure monitors, and the like as provided herein.

Health data of a particular user 216 may be stored by way of the datastructures 1200 described above with respect to FIGS. 12A-D. That is,the sensors 242 within the vehicle 104 may be able to either obtain ortrack health data in portion 1228. Health data 1228 may include any typeof physical characteristic associated with the user. For example, aheart rate, a blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, respiratoryrate, associated vital signs or other types of heath data may beobtained and stored in portion 1228.

The user may have this health data tracked over a period of time toallow for statistical analysis of the user's health while operating thevehicle 104. In this way, if some function of the user's health deviatesfrom a norm (e.g., a baseline or calibrated measurement, averagemeasurements taken over time, and the like), the vehicle 104 may be ableto determine there is a problem with the person and react to that data.

Profile data 252 is as described above but may also comprise health dataas to a particular user 216. For example, data indicating the user isdiabetic, a condition particularly important to EMS personnel in theevent of a health emergency, or history of arrhythmias and anymedication current prescribed to address the condition.

Maintenance provider 2208 is the entity user 216 has designated ashaving primary responsibility for maintenance of vehicle 104. However,the maintenance provider 2208 could be more than one entity. Themaintenance provider 2208 may or may not be associated with the originalequipment manufacturer. The security provider 2008 may be a monitoringservice that notifies other parties such as the vehicle owner in theevent of anomalous states or events associated with the vehicle 104,such as vehicle damage, and unauthorized entry to vehicle 104. Insuranceprovider 2212 is the designated insurance carrier for vehicle 104.Health provider 2604 comprises medical professionals designatedauthorized by user 216, to include primary care physician, preferredhospital, specialist medical professions (e.g. cardiac specialist).

The vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236 may operate in acontinuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

Stored data 232 may serve to store data associated with a vehicleaccident or incident, to include user 216 health data. Such stored data232 may be considered the equivalent of “black boxes” associated withaircraft.

An embodiment of a method 2700 for the automatic communication of damageand health in detected vehicle incidents is shown in FIG. 27.

While a general order for the steps of the method 2700 is shown in FIG.27, the method 2700 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange theorder of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 27. Generally,the method 2700 starts with a start operation 2704 and ends with an endoperation 2724. The method 2700 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method2700 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-26.

At step 2708, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense damage to vehicle104. Damage is broadly defined as any unexpected change in condition orstate of any portion of vehicle 104, to include the physical exteriorsurface (i.e. “skin” of the vehicle”) and all portions within thephysical exterior, i.e. the interior space 108. The vehicle sensors 242may operate in a continuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a setor selectable sampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remoteentity such as a third-party security provider 2008.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect bodydamage comprise vehicle external sensors such as external safety groupsensors 716E. That is, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may compriseforce sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors776, vehicle body sensors 782, vibration sensors, electromagnetic fieldsensors, and acoustic sensors. The one or more vehicle sensors 242 areconfigured to detect damage to vehicle 104 and/or identify its location.It one embodiment, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may provide ameasure of the degree of damage to vehicle 104.

In one example, hazard may be another vehicle which impacts vehicle 104.Force sensors 768 sense and measure the impact, or G-force, imparted tovehicle 104 and output a signal identifying a force exceeded aselectable threshold. Further, the approximate location of the damage isknown based on the location of the force sensor 768. That is, if theforce sensor 768 provides a 3-dimensional vector measurement of force,the location of the hazard impact may be determined given other knowngeometries (i.e. the vehicle geometries). Mechanical motion sensors 772such as accelerometers may similarly measure and sense the impact from ahazard. Orientation sensors 776, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes,magnetic sensors may also detect a change in orientation of the vehicle,either momentary or permanent, that indicates impact of vehicle 104 withhazard.

In one example, hazard may be another vehicle which impacts vehicle 104.Force sensors 768 sense and measure the impact, or G-force, imparted tovehicle 104 and output a signal identifying a force exceeded aselectable threshold. Further, the approximate location of the damage isknown based on the location of the force sensor 768. That is, if theforce sensor 768 provides a 3-dimensional vector measurement of force,the location of the hazard impact may be determined given other knowngeometries (i.e. the vehicle geometries). Mechanical motion sensors 772such as accelerometers may similarly measure and sense the impact from ahazard. Orientation sensors 776, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes,magnetic sensors may also detect a change in orientation of the vehicle,either momentary or permanent, that indicates impact of vehicle 104 witha hazard. Such identification and quantification of the source or causeof a vehicle accident directly assists several ways, comprising inaccident investigation, liability determination, and emergency responseprocedures. Indeed, automatic crash reporting for police and insurancereports may thus be enabled. As such, no recreation of the crash isrequired or interviewing of witnesses. Instead, time-stamped GPS dataand black-box recordings (via e.g. stored data 232) of the cars involvedaccurately document the accident or incident.

The vehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measurecharacteristics associated with the body (e.g., body panels, components,chassis, windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, a vehicle bodysensor 782 may be located in the rear bumper area of vehicle 104. Uponcontact by a hazard such as another vehicle above a selectable thresholdthe vehicle body sensor 782 provides an output signal. For example, thevehicle body sensor 782 might be calibrated to provide a signal if aforce at or above five (5) pounds is measured, or if an accelerationabove 1 foot/sec is measured. The location of the vehicle body sensor782 provides an indication of the location of the damage to vehicle 104.The value measured provides an indication of the degree of damage tovehicle 104.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 may also identify the locationand/or degree of damage to vehicle 104. That is, the sensor arrangement500 can include one or more areas 508 within the vehicle. Each zone mayinclude one or more sensors that are positioned or configured to collectinformation about the environment or ecosystem associated with that zoneor person. As such, one or more vehicle sensors 242 may associate asensed signal, e.g. a force sensor may register an 11 pound impact tothe driver's side window while a vibration sensor registers acorresponding spike in vibration, with a particular identified area ofthe vehicle via the labeling scheme discussed, i.e. associated with zone512A (driver).

Associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that areassociated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previouslystated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets,laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that thevarious sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employedby the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phonecan include an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more.These associated device sensors 720 may be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 to detect and/or identify damage to vehicle 104.

At step 2712, the vehicle control system 204 accepts vehicle sensor 242data and determines if a damage incident has occurred to vehicle 104. Ifno damage has occurred, the process returns to step 2708 wherein vehiclesensors 242 continue to operate and sensor data is received. Vehiclecontrol system 204 determines a damage incident has occurred byassessing the received signals or measurements from the one or morevehicle sensors 242. That is, the vehicle control system 204 acceptssensor inputs, assesses those sensor inputs, and determines if themeasurement is indicative of damage to the vehicle 104. For example, avehicle body sensor 782 may be located in the roof of vehicle 104. Uponcontact by a hazard 2204, such as half-inch sized hail, above aselectable threshold the vehicle body sensor 782 provides an outputsignal. For example, the vehicle body sensor 782 might be calibrated toprovide a signal if a force at or above five (3) pounds is measured, orif an acceleration above 0.5 foot/sec is measured, or a displacement ofmore than one-quarter inch is detected. The location of the vehicle bodysensor 782 provides an indication of the location of the damage tovehicle 104. The value measured provides an indication of the degree ofdamage to vehicle 104. The vehicle sensor 242 would also provide alocation of the damage, with respect to a certain zone 512 or area 508of the vehicle, i.e the vehicle roof. Stated another way, the vehiclesensors 242 output signals to the vehicle control system 204 that anevent (vehicle damage) has been measured or sensed. These data may thenin turn be sent to the vehicle control system processor 304 to determinethe zone 512 and area 508 where the event occurred.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of a range state parameter from the vehicle 104 toa potential intruder. In a simple case, the vehicle control system 204may solely receive measurements of range from a single force sensor, andsimple output a running average of the range, e.g. average allmeasurements over the last 1 sec to provide an average force value.Optionally, the vehicle control system 204 may perform estimation,blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter from multiple sensorssuch as multiple force sensors. Signal processing of such sensor signalmeasurements may comprise stochastic signal processing, adaptive signalprocessing, and/or other signal processing techniques known to thoseskilled in the art.

At step 2716, upon detection or sensing of vehicle damage, the vehiclecontrol system 204 determines if the health state of any of the one ormore occupant users 216 of vehicle 104 indicates a health anomaly,comprising if any occupants are injured or otherwise in need of medicalor other attention. If no users 216 indicate a health anomaly e.g. arein need of medical or other attention, the process returns to step 2708wherein vehicle sensors 242 continue to operate and sensor data isreceived. The vehicle control system 204 may compare the received healthdata from sensors comprising sensors 242 and wearable devices 802, 806,810 to identify any anomalies, e.g. data out of selectable ranges (e.g.a diastolic blood pressure reading above 100 or a systolic bloodpressure above 140) or a detected condition (e.g. heart arrhythmia).Alternatively or additionally, a statistically significant comparisonmay include determining if there are any parameters that could be deemedanomalous. For example, measured health parameters regarding heartfunction may be monitored and, if above a selectable threshold value,identified as anomalous and therefore in need of medical attention.

At step 2720, upon determining that one or more users or occupants ofvehicle 104 have a health anomaly, e.g. one or more occupants or users216 of vehicle 104 is injured or otherwise in need of medical attention,the vehicle control system 204 may take any of several actions. Theactions may comprise providing notice to one or more emergency agencies2004 such as police, and to health provider 2604 to obtain for examplemedical history of an injured party and/or facilitate communicationsbetween on-scene EMS personnel and a user's particular medical provider,to a security provider 2008 such as a monitoring service that notifiesother parties such as the vehicle owner, and one or more authorizedusers 2012 to include by way of device or user interface 212.

Continuing the above user under medication for arrhythmia, step 2720 maycomprise querying the user profile data 252 to determine user history ofheart rate and/or arrhythmia, preferred hospital, primary carephysician, emergency contact information, and specialist physician (e.g.cardiologist). As such, the take action step of 2720 may comprisecommunicating, via communication network 224, to one or more entitiesidentified in data structure 1200 and providing specific health historydata (e.g. medication taken), current health status (e.g. vital signs).Such data exchange enables data exchange of critical care data between,for example, on-scene personnel and health provider 2604. Such dataexchange is timely and accurate and increases efficacy of medical careto the user 216. Among other things, the user identified hospital may becontacted in advance to prepare for user's arrival, the cardiacspecialist may be paged to immediately meet the user at the designatedhospital, and user's emergency contacts may be reached.

The take action step of 2720 may comprise information exchange viacommunication network 224 between emergency agency 2400 and healthprovider 2604 to increase effectiveness of treatment of a user having amedical emergency or health anomaly. Such information exchange maycomprise health diagnostics. For example, the historical health data(e.g. date/time of last arrhythmia medication, date/time/character oflast arrhythmias), the on-scene vital sign data (taken by, for example,on-scene personnel, by wearable devices 802, 806, 810, by vehiclesensors 242, etc) may be used by health provider 2604 to diagnose themedical event/anomaly of user 216 and direct emergency personnel orothers on-scene, to include user 216, as to recommended actions.

Further, in one embodiment the circumstances of a damage incident arerecorded, for example on stored data 232, to provide for moreinstantaneous, more accurate and more comprehensive accidentinvestigation, failure analysis, and criminal guilt and/or civilliability investigation. For example, in the event of a vehicle damageincident, comprehensive definition of the circumstances prior, duringand sometimes after the incident are recorded, and may be communicatedto authorities (e.g. police, insurance provider, regulatory entity,authorized users). For example, such accident data may comprise vehiclespeed, braking timing and performance to include ABS performance andtiming, user operations to include if user was texting while driving,weather conditions, road conditions (to include a sensor that providescoefficient of friction of the roadway surface), user health conditionsto include eye gaze vector (e.g. was driver distracted by wildlife atthe sign of the road and not looking at stopped traffic immediately infront), operating conditions of other involved vehicles (e.g. throughvehicle-mounted camera and/or radar mounted on vehicle established speedof car in front as 20 mph above speed limit resulting in spin-out onturn and unexpected stopping in roadway).

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle and/or provide an alarm 2016, to include a visualalarm alert (e.g. flashing of headlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g.honking of horn), contact a maintenance provider 2208 so as to orderrepair parts, and contact an insurance provider 2212 to being the claimadjustment process. The action of vehicle control system 204 maycomprise any measure to provide for the safety of the user(s), such asstopping the vehicle, beginning to autonomounsly drive the vehicle,driving the vehicle to a new location, such as a hospital, waking thedriver with an alarm or other noise, or performing some other functionthat may help maintain the health or safety of the user(s). Also, thevehicle control system 204 may record vehicle damage data and/or hazarddata on profile data 252 associated with the user 216 of vehicle 104 toshared data 232. The method 2700 ends at step 2724.

In one embodiment, the system 2600 and/or method 2700 may function as auser health monitoring system irrespective of any damage incident. Thatis, generally, the method 2700 may receive sensor data at step 2708comprising user 216 health data (e.g. that of 1228 discussed previously,see e.g. FIG. 12A) such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate,respiratory rate, and other vital signs, and compare that received dataat step 2716 to determine if a health anomaly exists for any occupant.The comparison may be through comparison of user 216 health data withuser profile information 1238 as stored in profile data 252. Forexample, a heart rate exceeding a threshold value, as stored in profileinformation 1238, may determine that the user has a health anomaly.Furthermore, the profile data 252 may also provide that the user istaking a certain level and/or type of prescription medication forarrhythmia and when it was last taken.

The vehicle may also provide methods and systems for vehicle diagnosticdetection and communication. Specifically, a method to monitor thehealth of vehicle systems and subsystems and diagnose detected anomaliesis provided. In the event an anomaly or unhealthy state is detectedwithin a vehicle, subsystem or component, the system may take a numberof actions. In one embodiment, the actions comprise notifying amaintenance provider, a regulatory monitor, and original equipmentmanufacturer. The system may also maintain a vehicle fleet-wideperformance database to enable identification and analysis of systemicfleet-wide data.

A vehicle may provide automatic diagnostic updates about car's “health”to the dealer or maintenance shop. This may result in the dealeraccessing the car's computer remotely to do further diagnostics to aspecific car. If done on a large scale, the car manufacturer couldactually collect large sets of data to assess a particular vehicle makeand/or model and even determine potential design flaws. Data can resultin automatic alerts sent to the driver and may also result in theautomatic ordering of parts required to repair the car.

In some embodiments, the vehicle diagnostics may be sent to anapplication running on a user's device (e.g., smart-phone, tablet,computer, etc.). Among other things, the user may determine action itemspertaining to the car's diagnostics be interacting with the application.

The application may determine what is wrong with a car or what needsupkeep (changing oil, engine shampoo, low levels of windshield wiperfluid, etc), which interfaces with the car's IVI (In-VehicleInfotainment system), and replicate on a phone app, and be connected toa home automation ecosystem. The application can determine what one cando at home (e.g., one bought a bottle of windshield fluid 2 weeks ago,so a home automation system may remind to refill it upon returninghome). In some embodiments, the application may provide a universalnotification system, i.e. the car senses when it needs something, e.g.oil change, windshield washer fluid, wiper blades, and notifies thedriver as needed. This can be done by the car generating a shoppinglist. The user can define what items/actions he/she wants to address.Some users may want to change their oil, while other may only feelcomfortable changing out wiper blades. Notifications are timed to onlyarrive during safe driving situations; e.g. while at a red light orduring a long, straight stretch of road.

FIG. 28 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostic detection andcommunication system 2800 (herein also termed “vehicle diagnosticsystem”) and FIG. 29 depicts a block diagram of an embodiment of avehicle diagnostic system 2900. Diagnostic is broadly defined as theprocess or techniques associated with determining the nature and causeof a phenomenon, for example determining why an engine is knocking or acar pulls to the left during braking. The vehicle diagnostic system2800, 2900 may comprise historical sensor data 2804, historical usercompliance data 2412, maintenance data 2408, fleet-wide originalequipment manufacturer performance data 2808, vehicle control system204, profile data 252, user 216, diagnostics communications module 256,an original equipment manufacturer module 2812, subsystem providermodule 2816, a maintenance provider module 2208, a regulatory monitormodule 2820, vehicle subsystems 328, vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehiclesensors 236.

Vehicle control system 204, user 216, vehicle subsystems 328,diagnostics communications module 256 vehicle sensors 242 andnon-vehicle sensors 236 may communicate over a network or bus 356. Thiscommunication bus 356 may be bidirectional and perform datacommunications using any known or future-developed standard or protocol.An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 4. Other components communicate via communicationnetwork 224. As one example of the later communication, the regulatorymonitor 2820 and/or the insurance provider 2212, aside fromcommunicating with each other via communication network 224, maycommunicate with vehicle sensors 242, and/or non-vehicle sensors via 236via the vehicle 104. Hereinafter, the vehicle diagnostic system 2800,2900 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-27.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense the status andoperation of vehicle subsystems 328 as associated with a particular user216. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 104. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc as known to those skilled in the art. Vehiclesubsystems 328 may provide a status signal via communication bus 356 touser 216 indicating that a required maintenance item is recommended(e.g. the vehicle 104 is 500 miles from a required oil change) and/orprovide an out-of-maintenance indicator to historical user compliancedata 2412 and/or maintenance provider 2208 indicating that a requiredmaintenance item was not met (e.g. brakes pads have worn down beyond aselectable threshold).

Non-vehicle sensor 236 can be any type of sensor that is not currentlyassociated with the vehicle 104 yet useful in enabling or facilitatingoperations or functions of a vehicle diagnostic system 2800, 2900. Forexample, non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors that record weathercondition, road condition, and/or circumstances present during adesignated vehicle 104 event. For example, the in the event a vehicle'santi-lock brake subsystem is engaged, the vehicle control system 204 maybe tasked to record and/or take action of the event. The take action mayinclude recording the road conditions as provided by, for example, aweather service provider. The road conditions may comprise humidity,precipitation present, temperature, visibility and special or unusualconditions such as deer roadway crossings reported in the vicinity.Further, the non-vehicle sensor(s) 236 can be other types of sensorswhich provide information about the distant environment 116 or otherinformation about the vehicle 104 or the environment 100. Thesenon-vehicle sensors 236 may be operated by third parties but provideinformation to the vehicle control system 204. Examples of informationprovided by the sensors 236 and that may be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 may include weather tracking data, traffic data, user healthtracking data, vehicle maintenance data, or other types of data, whichmay provide environmental or other data to the vehicle control system204.

Profile data 252 is as described above but may also comprise datadescribing user 216 vehicle operations, e.g. excessive speed driving,activating breaks while engaging accelerator pedal (i.e. “riding thebrakes”).

The historical user compliance data 2412 maintains data associated witha particular user 216 as to their compliance with maintenance dataitems. For example, the dates of tune-ups and identification of entity(i.e. the maintenance provider 2208) who performed the tune-up arestored. The historical user compliance data 2412 may categorize dataaccording to specific vehicle 104.

Historical sensor data 2804 records performance characteristics ofvehicle sensors 242. For example, records of calibrations performed (toinclude calibration data itself, date of calibration, party performingthe calibration), date of installation, dates and types of maintenanceperformed, and records of any anomalous behaviors such as reading spikes(i.e. “wild points”). Such historical sensor data 2804 is beneficial inseveral ways, to include in signal processing algorithms when settingrelative weighting of a particular sensor and/or modeling its sensormeasurement characteristics (to include noise and accuracy profiles) andin determining the precision, accuracy, reliability of the sensor.

Maintenance data 2408 includes data defining required and recommendedmaintenance items for a particular vehicle and compliance with same. Forexample, the maintenance data 2408 may identify that a timing beltinspection is required every 10,000 miles. Maintenance data 2408 mayinclude different levels of requirements, i.e. an oil change may berecommended every 5,000 miles but required every 10,000 miles. Uponcompletion of a particular maintenance item, the maintenance data 2408is updated to document the completion, e.g. the date when the item wascompleted and the service provider performing the maintenance item. Suchan update to maintenance data 2408 may be automatically provided via thecommunication bus 356 to original equipment manufacturer 2812, subsystemprovider 2816 and regulatory monitor 2820 and may also update thehistorical user compliance data 2412.

Fleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performance data 2808 is acentral database that compiles and maintains data regarding an entirefleet of similar vehicles and/or similar subsystems. For example, ifvehicle 104 was a 2006 Honda Pilot, its data would be stored infleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performance data 2808 withall similar models of the first generation Honda Pilot, i.e. from2003-2008. In this way, fleet-wide trends may be analyzed yet alsodrill-downs to more specific ranges (e.g. all 2006 Honda Pilots with4-wheel drive).

The data stored in any of profile data 252, historical sensor data 2804,maintenance data 2408, historical user compliance data 2412 and/orfleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performance data 2808 may bestructured and configured with data structure of the type previouslydiscussed, e.g. FIGS. 12A-D. For example, the health status 1278 mayinclude any type of information related to a state of the systems toinclude the warranty compliance data and maintenance data discussed. Forinstance, an operational condition, manufacturing date, update status,revision information, time in operation, fault status, state of damagedetected, inaccurate data reporting, and other types of component/systemhealth status data may be obtained and stored in portion 1278.

One or more warnings may be stored in portion 1286. The warnings data1286 may include warning generated by the vehicle 104 (e.g. “oil changerequired within next 500 miles”), systems of the vehicle 104 (e.g.“brake pads now at 80% wear”), manufacturer of the vehicle, federalagency, third party, and/or a user associated with the vehicle. Forexample, several components of the vehicle may provide health statusinformation (e.g., stored in portion 1278) that, when consideredtogether, may suggest that the vehicle 104 has suffered some type ofdamage and/or failure. Recognition of this damage and/or failure may bestored in the warnings data portion 1286. The data in portion 1286 maybe communicated to one or more parties (e.g., a manufacturer,maintenance facility, user, insurance provider 2212, warranty provider2414, etc.). In another example, a manufacturer may issue a recallnotification for a specific vehicle 104, system of a vehicle 104, and/ora component of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the recallnotification may be stored in the warning data field 1286. Continuingthis example, the recall notification may then be communicated to theuser of the vehicle 104 notifying the user of the recall issued by themanufacturer.

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be configured to receiveand transmit diagnostic signals and information associated with thevehicle 104 and/or vehicle subsystems 328. Examples of diagnosticssignals and information may include, but is in no way limited to,vehicle system warnings, sensor data, vehicle component status, serviceinformation, component health, maintenance alerts, recall notifications,predictive analysis, and the like. Embodiments of the diagnosticcommunications module 256 may handle warning/error signals in apredetermined manner. The signals, for instance, can be presented to oneor more of a third party (e.g. the original equipment manufacturer 2812,subsystem provider 2816, regulatory monitor 2820), occupant, vehiclecontrol system 204, and a service provider (e.g., maintenance provider2208). The diagnostics communications module 256 may determine thespecific vehicle subsystem 328 that is out of specification and/ormaintenance requirement, if not a component part within the vehiclesubsystem 256. For example, the diagnostics communications module 256may determine that the braking system is out of compliance (i.e. is“unhealthy”) and also pinpoint the problem to a particular wheel. In oneembodiment, such a determination is communicated to the maintenanceprovider 2208 to enable a cost/schedule quote for repair and/or enableparts required for repair to be immediately ordered.

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be utilized by a thirdparty (i.e., a party other than the user 216, etc.) in communicatingvehicle diagnostic information. For instance, original equipmentmanufacturer 2812 may send a signal to a vehicle 104 to determine astatus associated with one or more components associated with thevehicle 104. In response to receiving the signal, the diagnosticcommunications module 256 may communicate with the vehicle controlsystem 204 to initiate a diagnostic status check. Once the diagnosticstatus check is performed, the information may be sent via thediagnostic communications module 256 to the manufacturer. This examplemay be especially useful in determining whether a component recallshould be issued based on the status check responses returned from acertain number of vehicles.

A particular vehicle subsystem 328 may be associated with a particularsubsystem provider 2816. For example, the engine control system may beprovided by a manufacturer other than the original equipmentmanufacturer 2812. The original equipment manufacturer 2812 is theentity that originally produced the vehicle 104, commonly a largemulti-national corporation e.g. Ford, Honda, etc. Maintenance provider2208 is the entity user 216 has designated as having primaryresponsibility for maintenance of vehicle 104. However, the maintenanceprovider 2208 could be more than one entity. The maintenance provider2208 may or may not be associated with the original equipmentmanufacturer 2812.

Regulatory monitor 2820 is an authorized entity that is empowered toregulate and/or monitor the performance of vehicle 104. For example, theregulatory monitor 2820 could be the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA). Regulatory monitor 2820 has an interest in, forexample, trend data regarding performance and/or safety of fleet-wideaspects of vehicle 104 as provided by original equipment manufacturer2812.

Any of user 216, original equipment manufacturer 2812, subsystemprovider 2816 and regulatory monitor 2820 may make queries of otherelements of vehicle diagnostic system 2800, 2900 via communication bus356. For example, an original equipment manufacturer 2812 may send asignal to a vehicle 104 by way of communication network 224 to determineif the user has complied with an urgent safety recall required, forexample, a change in an ignition switch. In response to receiving thesignal as passed via communication bus 356, the vehicle control system204 performs a query to determine if the ignition switch in question hasindeed been replaced. Such a query may comprise accessing themaintenance data 2408, historical user compliance data 2412 and/ormaintenance provider 2208 to determine the status sought. Once thecompliance or health check is performed, the information may be sent viathe vehicle control system 204 to the original equipment manufacturer2812.

The vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236 may operate in acontinuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

An embodiment of a method 3000 for vehicle diagnostic detection andcommunication is shown in FIG. 30. While a general order for the stepsof the method 3000 is shown in FIG. 30, the method 3000 can include moreor fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently thanthose shown in FIG. 30. Generally, the method 3000 starts with a startoperation 3004 and ends with an end operation 3028. The method 3000 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 3000 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-29.

At step 3008, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense a state or conditionof one or more vehicle subsystems 328. For example, an oil changemonitor sensor may measure mileage of vehicle 104 since last oil change,and provide an alert or notice as a selectable oil change threshold isapproached. That is, the oil change monitor sensor may be set to monitoroil changes every 5,000 miles and provide a signal when 4,500 miles hasbeen reached. Such oil change health status data, for example, may bestored as health status 1278 as part of the oil component 1274 ofvehicle system engine 1270 (see e.g. FIG. 12C). Alternatively oradditionally, the diagnostics communications module 256 may sense avehicle 104 warning.

In another example, regulatory monitor 2820, e.g. the NHTSA, may beperforming an investigation into suspected problems involving theAnti-lock Braking System (ABS) of a particular vehicle type. As such,NHTSA has mandated that all vehicles of a particular type recordconditions of and performance of the ABS system whenever it is used.Such data may be stored in fleet-wide original equipment manufacturerperformance data 2808 with associated vehicle 1282 identified (i.e. thevehicle make/model targeted by NHTSA), vehicle system 1270 identified(i.e. braking system) and component ID 1274 (i.e. ABS). Additional datamay also be stored, such as roadway conditions (e.g. coefficient offriction of roadway), weather (e.g. outside temperature, humidity), userperformance (e.g. length of time ABS was engaged) and user traits (e.g.age, need for prescription eyewear, traffic incident history).

At step 3012, the vehicle control system 204 accepts vehicle sensor 242data and/or data from diagnostics communications module 256 anddetermines the health state of the vehicle 104. Such a health statecomprises a numerical value and/or may provide a withinspecification/requirement or out of specification/requirementdesignation. For example, a vehicle sensor 242 may solely provide areading that the two brake pads on the front left wheel disc brakes areat ⅛ inch and ¼ inch thickness. The vehicle control system 204 and/ordiagnostics communications module 256 may then accept that reading andquery the maintenance data 2408 and/or original equipment manufacturer2812 (or subsystem provider 2816 if that entity provided the brakingsubsystem) to determine if the brakes are in specification/requirement.Upon determining that brake pads must be replaced when at ⅛ inch orbelow, vehicle control system 204 and/or diagnostics communicationsmodule 256 determines that the “health” state of the front left brakesystem is “unhealthy.” Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle sensor242 itself may provides an “out of spec” signal whenever a brake padfalls below ⅛ inch in thickness.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of a oil pressure readings. In a simple case, thevehicle control system 204 may solely receive measurements of oilpressure from a single pressure sensor, and simply output a runningaverage of the pressure, e.g. average all measurements over the last 1sec to provide an average pressure value. Optionally, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may perform estimation, blending, or fusion of ameasured state parameter from multiple sensors such as multiple forcesensors. Signal processing of such sensor signal measurements maycomprise stochastic signal processing, adaptive signal processing,and/or other signal processing techniques known to those skilled in theart.

At step 3016, a determination is made as to whether a query has beenreceived (e.g. by a maintenance provider 2208, diagnosticscommunications module 256, user 216) or a set periodic determination isrequired as to the health state of vehicle 104. For example, the user216 may have enrolled in a service with a maintenance provider 2816and/or original equipment manufacturer 2812 (sometimes termed“manufacturer support service”) which continually transmits theoperational “health” status of her vehicle 104, so as to effectivelyprovide continuous monitoring of the health of vehicle 104. If no suchquery is required or has been received, the method returns to step 3008to receive sensor data. If a determination that a query is required orhas been received, the method continues to step 3020.

Continuing the ABS example involving regulatory monitor 2208 NHTSA, thedata stored in fleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performancedata 2808 may be made available to NHTSA in several ways. For example,vehicle control system 204 could notice NHTSA by email that new data hasbeen entered in fleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performancedata 2808.

At step 3020, the vehicle control system 204 and/or diagnosticscommunications module 256 determines if the vehicle 104 is healthy. Thehealth of the vehicle 104 may be determined or reported based onselectable parameters, as selected by those comprising user 216,original equipment manufacturer 2812, subsystem provider 2816 andregulatory monitor 2820. For example, a user 216 may select that if anyone of a set of subsystems indicates an out of specification reading,the health of the vehicle 104 is to be deemed “unhealthy.” In contrast,regulatory monitor 2820, for example as part of a broad safetyinvestigation into the performance of antilock braking systems, mayselect that only if a component of the ABS system is out ofspecification is the vehicle 104 to be deemed unhealthy.

At step 3024, the vehicle control system 204 takes action in the event adetermination is made at step 3020 that the vehicle 104 and/or aparticular subsystem 328 is unhealthy. Continuing the ABS example, inthe event that a determination is made that the ABS is out ofspecification, the vehicle control system 204 may take several actions,to include providing notice to user 216 comprising via user interface212, updating fleet-wide original equipment manufacturer performancedata 2808 and/or maintenance data 2408 to document the unhealthy status,and further noticing the regulatory monitor 2820, original equipmentmanufacturer 2812 and/or maintenance provider 2208. The notice ormessage to regulatory monitor 2820, original equipment manufacturer2812, maintenance provider 2208 and/or user 216 may be a text message,phone call, email, etc.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn) forcertain selectable levels of unhealthy state. Such an alarm may beprovided in the event the brake lines have been severed (e.g. by avandal) thereby rendering the vehicle 104 unsafe to operate. The method2100 ends at step 2524.

A vehicle may provide methods and systems for vehicle diagnosticdetection and identification through vehicle sensitive skin.Specifically, a method to monitor the exterior surface of skin of avehicle to enable detection and identification of damage to the vehicleexterior surface. In one embodiment, a change in skin condition providesmonitoring of vehicle performance and identifies vehicle operatingabnormalities. In the event vehicle skin damage is detected, the systemmay take a number of actions. In one embodiment, the actions comprisenotifying authorized users of the vehicle, a maintenance and diagnosticsservice provider, a security provider, and emitting a visual or audioalarm.

More specifically, a vehicle may incorporate a sensitive automobile“skin” to detect when and where a vehicle receives minor damage; e.g. ascratch or a dent. This sensitive vehicle skin may assist with faultanalysis and may provide a vehicle skin monitoring function. Among otherthings, the vehicle may include a series of sensors that can determinemechanical and/or electrical characteristics of physical and/orelectrical components. In one example, a vehicle may establish a skincondition baseline. The baseline (or calibration) may be used to comparea current condition to the baseline condition to detect possible damageand/or other inconsistencies. An example of skin condition may includeelectrical resistivity, or radio frequency (RF) signal, across one ormore sections of a vehicle panel, component, assembly, etc.

FIG. 31 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostic detection throughsensitive vehicle skin system 3100. Vehicle 104 is shown incommunication with elements as disclosed above, i.e. vehicle sensors242, communication network 224 and vehicle control system 204. A hazard2204 is depicted in communication with the vehicle 104. The hazard 2204may be, for example, another vehicle, a shopping cart, a vandal, orother entity that may cause damage to vehicle 104 to include naturalhazards like hail. The hazard 2204 may be fixed or moveable. Damage tovehicle 104 is detected by vehicle sensors 242.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 detect or sense a change to abaseline skin condition to vehicle 242 as associated with a particularlocation of vehicle 104 associated with one or more areas 508. See FIGS.5A-C. The vehicle sensors comprise one or more vehicle body sensors 782.The vehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measurecharacteristics associated with the body (e.g., body panels, components,chassis, windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, two vehicle bodysensors 782, including a first body sensor and a second body sensor, maybe located at some distance apart. Continuing this example, the firstbody sensor may be configured to send an electrical signal across thebody of the vehicle 104 to the second body sensor, or vice versa. Uponreceiving the electrical signal from the first body sensor, the secondbody sensor may record a detected current, voltage, resistance, and/orcombinations thereof associated with the received electrical signal.Values (e.g., current, voltage, resistance, etc.) for the sent andreceived electrical signal may be stored in a memory. These values canbe compared to determine whether subsequent electrical signals sent andreceived between vehicle body sensors 782 deviate from the storedvalues. When the subsequent signal values deviate from the storedvalues, the difference may serve to indicate damage and/or loss of abody component.

Additionally or alternatively, the deviation may indicate a problem withthe vehicle body sensors 782. The vehicle body sensors 782 maycommunicate with each other, a vehicle control system 204, and/orsystems of the vehicle system 200 via a communications channel 356.Although described using electrical signals, it should be appreciatedthat alternative embodiments of the vehicle body sensors 782 may usesound waves and/or light to perform a similar function.

In another example, the one or more vehicle body sensors 782 may measuredeviation of the vehicle skin from a baseline measurement, e.g.electrical resistance, magnetic field, and frequency response. Here,vehicle “skin” broadly refers to the exterior surface of a vehicle 104,which traditionally is of a metal or metal alloy such as aluminum.However, vehicle skin also includes any type of material used in vehiclebody exteriors to include fiberglass and composite materials. Also,frequency response means determination of the natural vibration modes ofa physical system (e.g. a vehicle door panel, a vehicle fender, anentire vehicle outside skin). The body sensors 782 may be installed onan interior or exterior surface of the vehicle ski, or embedded withinthe skin. For example, the body sensor may be a wire running through theinside of a composite body apnel such as a vehicle door.

The vehicle body sensors 782 measure deviation of the vehicle skin froma baseline measurement typically obtained through a calibration process.For example, an electrical resistance sensor, after installation at thesite of vehicle production, records a baseline measurement of theelectrical resistance of a particular designated vehicle area, perhaps arear quarter panel made of a uniform type of metal alloy. The range ofthe electrical resistance sensor is then calibrated to prevent nuisancerecordings yet provide adequate sensitivity to changes in electricalresistance. Further, a threshold value is selected that, when exceeded,will trigger a signal output from the electrical resistance sensor.Alternatively, the electrical resistance sensor may routinely senseelectrical resistance and output same to the vehicle control system 242which performs its own threshold-exceed determination.

In another example, the vehicle body sensor 782 may provide anelectromagnetic pulse of energy to a designated portion (to include allor a substantial portion) of the vehicle 104 to establish a baselinefrequency response. Such a frequency response calibration is thencompared against by subsequent frequency response data collections toidentify any deviations deemed significant. A significant deviation maybe a change in frequency components (e.g. magnitude, phase) beyond aselectable threshold.

The afore-mentioned deviations sensed by one or more vehicle sensors 242may indicate skin damage to the vehicle 242. Additionally oralternatively, the deviations may indicate a developing or existingabnormality with the vehicle 104. For example, a change in the frequencyresponse may indicate a change in the vibration characteristics of thevehicle 104, perhaps due to a slipping timing belt or a suspensionproblem. By first sensing an abnormality, then identifying the locationand/or conditions of the abnormality (e.g. during high-speed operations,during engine idle, during high-radius turns) the sensed conditionprovides assistance in diagnosing the budding or existing problem withthe vehicle 104.

Upon detection of a change in skin condition the vehicle control system204 may train vehicle sensors 242 to the surrounding area of skincondition deviation or change, and/or record and train as possiblenon-vehicle sensors 236 to the surrounding area. Such on-site sensing ofthe potential cause of the skin condition deviation may be beneficial inseveral ways, to include liability determination and insurance claims.Hazard 2204 may be detected by one or more vehicle sensors 242comprising external vehicle sensors 242. Upon detection or sensing of adeviation in the skin state or condition of the vehicle 104, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may take any of several actions. The action maycomprise providing notice to a security provider 2008 such as amonitoring service that notifies other parties such as the vehicleowner, a maintenance and diagnostics service provider 3104 and one ormore authorized users 2012 to include by way of device or user interface212. Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle and/or provide an alarm 2016, to include a visualalarm alert (e.g. flashing of headlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g.honking of horn), and contact a maintenance and diagnostics serviceprovider 3104 so as to order repair parts and/or enable diagnostics tobe performed. Also, the vehicle control system 204 may record vehicledamage data and/or hazard data on profile data 252 associated with theuser 216 of vehicle 104.

FIG. 32 is a flow diagram of a method for vehicle diagnostic detectionthrough sensitive vehicle skin. While a general order for the steps ofthe method 3200 is shown in FIG. 32, the method 3200 can include more orfewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than thoseshown in FIG. 32. Generally, the method 3200 starts with a startoperation 3204 and ends with an end operation 3224. The method 3200 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 3200 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-31.

At step 3208, the one or more vehicle sensors 242, comprising thevehicle body sensors 782, used to monitor vehicle skin status or stateare calibrated. Calibration is broadly defined as the process ofcomparing sensor measurements against a known truth to establish theaccuracy and/or gain schedule of a sensor device. In this disclosure theterm calibration also refers to a baseline or nominal measurementcondition, such as a baseline or calibrated vehicle electricalconductivity value. The one or more vehicle sensors 242 may becalibrated individually or collectively, and at regular intervals orintermittent intervals. As discussed above, the calibration may enablethe removal of nuisance or “wild point” measurements from a givensensor.

At step 3212, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense vehicle skinstate or status and/or deviations and are received by the vehiclecontrol system 204. For example, an electrical conductivity sensor mayperiodically measure or sense a conductivity of a portion of the vehicle104 and, on an event-driven basis, provide an output in the event of adeviation from a baseline value. The vehicle sensors 242 may operate ina continuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect changesin vehicle skin state comprise vehicle external sensors such as externalsafety group sensors 716E. That is, the one or more vehicle sensors 242may comprise force sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772,orientation sensors 776, vehicle body sensors 782, vibration sensors,electromagnetic field sensors, and acoustic sensors. The one or morevehicle sensors 242 are configured to detect damage to vehicle 104,comprising the vehicle skin, and/or identify its location. It oneembodiment, the one or more vehicle sensors 242 may provide a measure ofthe degree of damage to the skin of vehicle 104. Furthermore, the one ormore vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect changes in vehicleskin state may be configured to engage and/or interconnect with vehiclebody sensors 782 configured to measure characteristics associated withthe body (e.g., body panels, components, chassis, windows, etc.) otherthan the vehicle skin state of a vehicle 104.

The one or more vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect changesin vehicle skin state may be located in an interior space 108 or anexterior of the vehicle 104 and not mounted or disposed directly on orin the vehicle skin location of interest. For example, a camera could bemounted on the rear-view mirror so as to face the hood of vehicle 104and detect changes in the skin condition of the vehicle hood. The one ormore vehicle sensors 242 may also identify the location and/or degree ofskin damage to vehicle 104.

Associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that areassociated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previouslystated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets,laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that thevarious sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employedby the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phonecan include, an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more.These associated device sensors 720 may be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 to detect and/or identify damage and/or changes to vehicleskin state.

Optionally, the exterior safety sensors 716E may be configured tocollect data relating to one or more conditions, objects, vehiclecomponents, and other events that are external to the vehicle 104. Forinstance, the force sensors 768 in the external safety group 716E maydetect and/or record force information associated with the outside of avehicle 104 given an anomaly detected in the skin of the hood of thevehicle 104. For example, if an object (e.g. shopping cart) strikes thedriver's side door of the vehicle 104, the force sensors 768 from theexterior safety group 716E may determine a magnitude, location, and/ortime associated with the strike in addition to a measurement by the oneor more vehicle sensors 242 employed to sense or detect changes invehicle skin state.

At step 3216, a determination is made as to whether a change ordeviation in vehicle skin state has occurred. If no such change ordetection has occurred, the process returns to step 3208 wherein vehiclesensors 242 continue to operate and sensor data is received. Vehiclecontrol system 204 determines a change in vehicle skin condition hasoccurred by assessing the received signals or measurements from the oneor more vehicle sensors 242, such as the vehicle body sensors 782. Thatis, the vehicle control system 204 accepts sensor inputs, assesses thosesensor inputs, and determines if the measurement is indicative of aselectable level of change in skin condition to the vehicle 104. Forexample, a vehicle body sensor 782 capable of measuring vibration may belocated in the door panel of a vehicle 104. Also located in the doorpanel is an actuator capable of imparting vibrations to the door panelso that, in coordination with the vibration sensor, a vibratoryfrequency analysis may be periodically performed. A change in thefrequency analysis indicates a change to the physical properties of thedoor panel, such as prompted by a change (a scratch, a “ding” or otherdamage) to the door panel skin. Similarly, a vehicle body sensors 782might be an electrical conductivity sensor configured to detect changesin electrical conductivity. The level of sensitivity, or a thresholdvalue in which a skin anomaly of change is declared, is selectable.

Upon determination that a change in state or condition of vehicle skinhas occurred, the zone of vehicle 104 wherein the skin change hasoccurred is recorded. The location of the vehicle body sensor 782provides an indication of the location of the vehicle skin conditionchange (which may translate to damage to the vehicle skin). The valuemeasured (i.e. the amount of change or absolute value) provides anindication of the degree of potential damage to vehicle 104. Statedanother way, the vehicle sensors 242 output signals to the vehiclecontrol system 204 that an event (a change in a nominal value of skinstate or a value of skin state above a selectable threshold) has beenmeasured or sensed. These data may then in turn be sent to the vehiclecontrol system processor 304 to determine the zone 512 and area 508where the event occurred.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of a range state parameter from the vehicle 104 toa potential intruder. In a simple case, the vehicle control system 204may solely receive measurements of electrical conductivity from a singlesensor, and simpley output a running average of the conductivity, e.g.average all measurements over the last 1 sec to provide an averagevalue. Optionally, the vehicle control system 204 may performestimation, blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter frommultiple sensors such as multiple conductivity sensors. Signalprocessing of such sensor signal measurements may comprise stochasticsignal processing, adaptive signal processing, and/or other signalprocessing techniques known to those skilled in the art.

At step 3220, upon detection or sensing of a change in vehicle skinstate, the vehicle control system 204 may take any of several actions.The action may comprise providing notice to a security provider 2008such as a monitoring service that notifies other parties such as thevehicle owner, and one or more authorized users 2012 to include by wayof device or user interface 212. Alternatively or additionally, thevehicle control system 204 may disable the vehicle and/or provide analarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn), and contact amaintenance and diagnostics provider 2208 so as to facilitatediagnostics of any sensed anomaly of the vehicle and/or order repairparts (if for example, vehicle damage is indicated). Also, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may record vehicle damage data and/or hazard data onprofile data 252 associated with the user 216 of vehicle 104.

Upon detection of a change to the vehicle skin state, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may further train vehicle sensors 242 to thesurrounding area of the vehicle 104, and/or record and train as possiblenon-vehicle sensors 236 to the surrounding area. Such on-site sensing ofthe potential cause of the vehicle damage benefits in several ways, toinclude liability determination and insurance claims. Hazard 2204 may bedetected by one or more vehicle sensors 242 comprising external sensorsand non-vehicle sensors 236. For example, a change to a door panel'sskin state may indicate damage caused by an errant driver “hazard;” avehicle sensor 242 such as a camera could be alerted to image the areato allow identification of the errant driver in the event the driverdoes not provide his contact information.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from thesensors 242 of a skin state change and use that information to searchthe database 1200 that may be stored within the system data 208. Thesensor data may be compared to maintenance data and/or performance dataof vehicle 104 to enable a determination of repair parameters associatedwith the damage. For example, the skin state deviations may indicate adeveloping or existing abnormality with the vehicle 104. For example, achange in the frequency response may indicate a change in the vibrationcharacteristics of the vehicle 104, perhaps due to a slipping timingbelt or a suspension problem. By first sensing an abnormality, thenidentifying the location and/or conditions of the abnormality (e.g.during high-speed operations, during engine idle, during high-radiusturns) the sensed condition provides assistance in diagnosing thebudding or existing problem with the vehicle 104. Such data may be sentto the maintenance and diagnostics service provider. The vehicle controlsystem 204 may also store data regarding the change in skin state.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn). Also, thevehicle control system 204 may record vehicle damage data and/or hazarddata on profile data 252 associated with the user 216 of vehicle 104.The method 3200 ends at step 32240.

The vehicle may provide methods and systems for vehicle diagnostics androadside assistance. Specifically, a method to monitor the health ofvehicle systems and subsystems and diagnose detected anomalies may beprovided. In the event a vehicle anomaly is detected or a vehicle userotherwise requests assistance, the system may take a number of actions.In one embodiment, the actions comprise noticing a maintenance provider,emergency personnel and emitting a visual or audio alarm.

A vehicle may assist drivers who require help due to flat tire or otherautomobile malfunction or automobile failure. The assistance maycomprise calling for help or a tow-truck, identifying nearby maintenanceshops available to provide immediate assistance (e.g. will tow the caror do the repair), or performing diagnosis if not perform the repairremotely.

FIG. 33 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle diagnostics and roadsideassistance system (herein also termed “roadside assistance system”)3300. The roadside assistance system 3300 may comprise vehicle controlsystem 204, profile data 252, user 216, diagnostics communicationsmodule 256, maintenance provider module 2208, security provider module2820, emergency agency module 2004, vehicle subsystems 328, vehiclesensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236.

Emergency 2004 is broadly defined as any entity that provides anemergency response function, comprising police, ambulance, EMTs,firefighters, etc. Security provider 2008 may be a monitoring servicethat notifies other parties such as the vehicle owner in the event ofanomalous states or events associated with the vehicle 104, such asvehicle damage, and unauthorized entry to vehicle 104. Security provider2008 may comprise any private entity that provides security services toany of user and/or occupants of vehicle and to vehicle itself, such as asecurity monitoring company, corporate security personnel, etc.

Vehicle control system 204, user 216, vehicle subsystems 328,diagnostics communications module 256, vehicle sensors 242 andnon-vehicle sensors 236 may communicate over a network or bus 356. Thiscommunication bus 356 may be bidirectional and perform datacommunications using any known or future-developed standard or protocol.An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 4. Other components communicate via communicationnetwork 224. As one example of the later communication, the securityprovider 2008 and/or emergency agency 2004, aside from communicatingwith each other via communication network 224, may communicate withdiagnostics communications module 256, vehicle control system 204,vehicle sensors 242, and/or non-vehicle sensors via 236 via the vehicle104. Hereinafter, the roadside assistance system 3300 shall be explainedwith reference to the systems, components, modules, software, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS.1-32.

One or more of vehicle sensors 242 may detect or sense the status andoperation of vehicle subsystems 328 as associated with a particular user216. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 104. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc as known to those skilled in the art. Vehiclesubsystems 328 may provide a status signal via communication bus 356 touser 216 indicating that a required maintenance item is recommended(e.g. the vehicle 104 is 500 miles from a required oil change) and/orprovide an out-of-maintenance indicator to historical user compliancedata 2412 and/or maintenance provider 2208 indicating that a requiredmaintenance item was not met (e.g. brakes pads have worn down beyond aselectable threshold).

Vehicle sensors 242 may comprise sensors to measure heart rate to sensearrhythmias, to detect heart attacks or seizures which may prompt thetaking of corrective actions for example stopping the car, and sensorsthat link to health provider 2604 (to include a medical professional soauthorized by user 216) to enable assessment of health condition andwell-being. One or more vehicle sensors 242 may be linked with externalentities that enable more sophisticated interpretation and/or diagnosisof health condition given sensor readings of user health state.

Vehicle sensors 242 may also serve a user health monitoring function.That is, during routine driving operations the vehicle sensors 242 maymonitor and alert, as necessary, in the event a user 216 experiences ahealth anomaly. For example, health telemetry and other data may becollected via the steering wheel user sensors 642. Optionally, thesteering wheel user sensors 642 may collect heart rate, temperature,blood pressure, and the like, associated with a user 216 via at leastone contact disposed on or about the steering wheel 640. Similarly,biometric sensors 756 may be employed to identify and/or recordcharacteristics associated with a user 216. Biometric sensors 756 caninclude at least one of image sensors, IR sensors, fingerprint readers,weight sensors, load cells, force transducers, heart rate monitors,blood pressure monitors, and the like as provided herein.

Health data of a particular user 216 may be stored by way of the datastructures 1200 described above with respect to FIGS. 12A-D. That is,the sensors 242 within the vehicle 104 may be able to either obtain ortrack health data in portion 1228. Health data 1228 may include any typeof physical characteristic associated with the user. For example, aheart rate, a blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, respiratoryrate, associated vital signs or other types of heath data may beobtained and stored in portion 1228.

Non-vehicle sensor 236 can be any type of sensor that is not currentlyassociated with the vehicle 104 yet useful in enabling or facilitatingoperations or functions of a vehicle diagnostic system 2800, 2900. Forexample, non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors that record weathercondition, road condition, and/or circumstances present during adesignated vehicle 104 event. These non-vehicle sensors 236 may beoperated by third parties but provide information to the vehicle controlsystem 204. Examples of information provided by the sensors 236 and thatmay be used by the vehicle control system 204 may include weathertracking data, traffic data, user health tracking data, vehiclemaintenance data, or other types of data, which may provideenvironmental or other data to the vehicle control system 204.

Profile data 252 is as described above but may also comprise datadescribing user 216 preferences regarding vehicle warnings and/orpreferred vendors. For example, the user may prefer to only be warned ofvehicle conditions that pose an immediate or near-immediate threat tosafety (e.g. brakes pads below a threshold level) and not be informed ofitems not posing an immediate threat (e.g. windshield washer fluid lowin weather conditions that are clear without precipitation). Similarly,the user may have present maintenance providers 2208 preferred for majormaintenance (e.g. the affiliate of the vehicle OEM) and anothermaintenance provider for routine items (e.g. inflation of tires to apreferred pressure).

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be configured to receiveand transmit diagnostic signals and information associated with thevehicle 104 and/or vehicle subsystems 328. Examples of diagnosticssignals and information may include, but is in no way limited to,vehicle system warnings, sensor data, vehicle component status, serviceinformation, component health, maintenance alerts, recall notifications,predictive analysis, and the like. Embodiments of the diagnosticcommunications module 256 may handle warning/error signals in apredetermined manner. The signals, for instance, can be presented to oneor more of a third party (e.g. the 2208, security provider 2008),occupant, vehicle control system 204, and a emergency agency 2004. Thediagnostics communications module 256 may determine the specific vehiclesubsystem 328 that is out of specification and/or maintenancerequirement, if not a component part within the vehicle subsystem 256.For example, the diagnostics communications module 256 may determinethat the braking system is out of compliance (i.e. is “unhealthy”) andalso pinpoint the problem to a particular wheel. In one embodiment, sucha determination is communicated to the maintenance provider 2208 toenable a cost/schedule quote for repair and/or enable parts required forrepair to be immediately ordered.

The vehicle sensors 242 and non-vehicle sensors 236 may operate in acontinuous or discontinuous mode, may operate at a set or selectablesampling rate, and may be selectable by a user or a remote entity suchas a third-party security provider.

An embodiment of a method 3400 for a vehicle diagnostics and roadsideassistance system is shown in FIG. 34. While a general order for thesteps of the method 3400 is shown in FIG. 34, the method 3400 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 34. Generally, the method 3400starts with a start operation 3404 and ends with an end operation 3428.The method 3400 can be executed as a set of computer-executableinstructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on acomputer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 3400 shall beexplained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software,data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-33.

At step 3408, one or more vehicle sensors 242 sense a state or conditionof one or more vehicle subsystems 328. For example, an oil changemonitor sensor may measure mileage of vehicle 104 since last oil change,and provide an alert or notice as a selectable oil change threshold isapproached. That is, the oil change monitor sensor may be set to monitoroil changes every 5,000 miles and provide a signal when 4,500 miles hasbeen reached. Such oil change health status data, for example, may bestored as health status 1278 as part of the oil component 1274 ofvehicle system engine 1270 (see e.g. FIG. 12C). Alternatively oradditionally, the diagnostics communications module 256 may sense avehicle 104 warning.

At step 3012, the vehicle control system 204 accepts vehicle sensor 242data and/or data from diagnostics communications module 256 anddetermines the health state of the vehicle 104. Such a health statecomprises a numerical value and/or may provide a withinspecification/requirement or out of specification/requirementdesignation. For example, a vehicle sensor 242 may solely provide areading that the left rear tire is below a specified threshold tirepressure. The threshold tire pressure may be selected by the user 216(e.g. at 42 PSI for a harder ride but better gas mileage), maintenanceprovider 2208 (at 35 PSI for a softer ride) or original equipmentmanufacturer (at 38 PSI). The vehicle control system 204 and/ordiagnostics communications module 256 may then accept the tire pressurereading and optionally query the maintenance data 2408 and/or originalequipment manufacturer 2812 to determine if the brakes are inspecification/requirement. Upon determining that the left rear tire isindeed below a minimal safe tire pressure (e.g. 25 PSI), vehicle controlsystem 204 and/or diagnostics communications module 256 determines thatthe “health” state of the left rear tire is “unhealthy.” Alternativelyor additionally, the vehicle sensor 242 itself may provide an “out ofspec” signal whenever a tire pressure falls below a selectable value,e.g. maintenance provider 2208 value of 35 PSI.

Upon receiving the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or morevehicle sensors 242. Such signal processing may include fused or blendedestimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such asmultiple measurements of an oil pressure readings. In a simple case, thevehicle control system 204 may solely receive measurements of oilpressure from a single pressure sensor, and simply output a runningaverage of the pressure, e.g. average all measurements over the last 1sec to provide an average pressure value. Optionally, the vehiclecontrol system 204 may perform estimation, blending, or fusion of ameasured state parameter from multiple sensors such as multiple forcesensors. Signal processing of such sensor signal measurements maycomprise stochastic signal processing, adaptive signal processing,and/or other signal processing techniques known to those skilled in theart.

At step 3416, the vehicle control system 204 and/or diagnosticscommunications module 256 determines if the vehicle 104 is healthy. Thehealth of the vehicle 104 may be determined or reported based onselectable parameters, as selected by those comprising user 216,original equipment manufacturer 2812, subsystem provider 2816 andregulatory monitor 2820. For example, a maintenance provider 2208 mayselect that if any one of a set of subsystems indicates an out ofspecification reading, the health of the vehicle 104 is to be determinedto be “unhealthy.” If the vehicle 106 is deemed unhealthy, then the user104 is noticed through any of several means comprising display 212 anddashboard indicator warning. If the vehicle is not determined to beunhealthy, the method 3400 moves to step 3420.

At step 3420, the driver or user 104 is queried as to whether assistanceis sought. That is, the user 104 is queried as to what, if any, actionhe would like performed. If the user 216 indicates that no action issought, the method returns to step 3408 and sensor data is received. Ifthe user 216 requests action, the method moves to step 3424.

At step 3424, the vehicle control system 204 takes action in the event adetermination is made at step 3020 that the vehicle 104 and/or aparticular subsystem 328 is unhealthy and the user 216 requests actionbe taken. Continuing the low pressure tire example, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may take several actions (all at the option and selectable bythe user), to include notifying maintenance provider 2208 of theunhealthy status and identified unhealthy part or condition. The noticeor message may be a text message, phone call, email, etc.

Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle control system 204 maydisable the vehicle (e.g. not allowing the vehicle 104 to start) and/orprovide an alarm 2016, to include a visual alarm alert (e.g. flashing ofheadlights, hazard lights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and/orinterior lights) and audio alarm alert (e.g. honking of horn) forcertain selectable levels of unhealthy state. The method 2100 ends atstep 3424.

In one embodiment, the system 3300 and/or method 3400 may function as adriver assistance and targeted interactive information systemirrespective of any vehicle health issue. That is, generally, the method3400 may receive a query from user 216 asking what the recommended tirepressure is, given the user 216 has pulled into a gas station and isservicing his tires. User 216 so queries maintenance provider 2208 viacommunications network 224. The maintenance provider 2208 receives theuser query, combines the query with vehicle type data e.g. 1282 whichidentifies nominal recommended tire pressure, adjusts as necessary givenlocale weather conditions (as obtained, e.g. from GPS-enabled weatherstatus data provided by non-vehicle sensors 236), and replies to userthat the recommended tire pressure, given the vehicle type and localweather conditions is 36 PSI.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been describedin relation to configurable vehicle consoles and associated devices.However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, thepreceding description omits a number of known structures and devices.This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes ofthe claims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understandingof the present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that thepresent disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond thespecific detail set forth herein.

Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/orconfigurations illustrated herein show the various components of thesystem collocated, certain components of the system can be locatedremotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LANand/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should beappreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to oneor more devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC), laptop, netbook,smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., orcollocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as ananalog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switchnetwork, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from thepreceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, thatthe components of the system can be arranged at any location within adistributed network of components without affecting the operation of thesystem. For example, the various components can be located in a switchsuch as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communicationsdevices, at one or more users' premises, or some combination thereof.Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could bedistributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associatedcomputing device.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connectingthe elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof,or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable ofsupplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements.These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may becapable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media usedas links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electricalsignals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and maytake the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated inrelation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciatedthat changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occurwithout materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments,configuration, and aspects.

A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used.It would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosurewithout providing others.

It should be appreciated that the various processing modules (e.g.,processors, vehicle systems, vehicle subsystems, modules, etc.), forexample, can perform, monitor, and/or control critical and non-criticaltasks, functions, and operations, such as interaction with and/ormonitoring and/or control of critical and non-critical on board sensorsand vehicle operations (e.g., engine, transmission, throttle, brakepower assist/brake lock-up, electronic suspension, traction andstability control, parallel parking assistance, occupant protectionsystems, power steering assistance, self-diagnostics, event datarecorders, steer-by-wire and/or brake-by-wire operations,vehicle-to-vehicle interactions, vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions,partial and/or full automation, telematics, navigation/SPS, multimediasystems, audio systems, rear seat entertainment systems, game consoles,tuners (SDR), heads-up display, night vision, lane departure warning,adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, collision warning, blindspot sensors, park/reverse assistance, tire pressure monitoring, trafficsignal recognition, vehicle tracking (e.g., LoJack™)dashboard/instrument cluster, lights, seats, climate control, voicerecognition, remote keyless entry, security alarm systems, andwiper/window control). Processing modules can be enclosed in an advancedEMI-shielded enclosure containing multiple expansion modules. Processingmodules can have a “black box” or flight data recorder technology,containing an event (or driving history) recorder (containingoperational information collected from vehicle on board sensors andprovided by nearby or roadside signal transmitters), a crash survivablememory unit, an integrated controller and circuitry board, and networkinterfaces.

Critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operatecritical systems. Critical systems may include one or more of (dependingon the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operating the ECU,TCU, door settings, window settings, blind spot monitor, monitoring,controlling, operating the safety equipment (e.g., airbag deploymentcontrol unit, collision sensor, nearby object sensing system, seat beltcontrol unit, sensors for setting the seat belt, etc.), monitoringand/or controlling certain critical sensors such as the power sourcecontroller and energy output sensor, engine temperature, oil pressuresensing, hydraulic pressure sensors, sensors for headlight and otherlights (e.g., emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light,interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on oroff)), vehicle control system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g.,Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth sensors, etc.), cellular data sensor, and/orsteering/torque sensor, controlling the operation of the engine (e.g.,ignition, etc.), head light control unit, power steering, display panel,switch state control unit, power control unit, and/or brake controlunit, and/or issuing alerts to a user and/or remote monitoring entity ofpotential problems with a vehicle operation.

Non-critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operatenon-critical systems. Non-critical systems may include one or more of(depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operatinga non-critical system, emissions control, seating system controller andsensor, infotainment/entertainment system, monitoring certainnon-critical sensors such as ambient (outdoor) weather readings (e.g.,temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and the like), odometer readingsensor, trip mileage reading sensor, road condition sensors (e.g., wet,icy, etc.), radar transmitter/receiver output, brake wear sensor, oxygensensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor,parking sensor, heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) system andsensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, hall effect sensor,microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, and/or infrared (IR) sensor.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of thenon-critical components and/or systems provided herein may becomecritical components and/or systems, and/or vice versa, depending on acontext associated with the vehicle.

Optionally, the systems and methods of this disclosure can beimplemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuitelement(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signalprocessor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discreteelement circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD,PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or thelike. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing themethodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the variousaspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for thedisclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers,handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital,analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Someof these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiplemicroprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and outputdevices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including,but not limited to, distributed processing or component/objectdistributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machineprocessing can also be constructed to implement the methods describedherein.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readilyimplemented in conjunction with software using object or object-orientedsoftware development environments that provide portable source code thatcan be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially orfully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whethersoftware or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance withthis disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirementsof the system, the particular function, and the particular software orhardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems beingutilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partiallyimplemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executedon programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of acontroller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, orthe like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented as program embedded on personal computer such as anapplet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server orcomputer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurementsystem, system component, or the like. The system can also beimplemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into asoftware and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments,subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. Thepresent disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absenceof items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence ofsuch items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g.,for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost ofimplementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are notlimited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm®Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing,Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motioncoprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family ofprocessors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel®Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22 nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22 nmIvy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300,and FX-8350 32 nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments®Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments®OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors,ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry-equivalentprocessors, and may perform computational functions using any known orfuture-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/orarchitecture. This application is also related to PCT Patent ApplicationNos. PCT/US14/34092, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled, “BuildingProfiles Associated with Vehicle Users” (Attorney Docket No.6583-543-PCT); PCT/US14/34099, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Accessand Portability of User Profiles Stored as Templates” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-544-PCT); PCT/US14/34087, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled“User Interface and Virtual Personality Presentation Based on UserProfile” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-547-PCT); PCT/US14/34088, filed onApr. 15, 2014, entitled “Creating Targeted Advertising Profiles Based onUser Behavior” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-549-PCT); PCT/US14/34232, filedon Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Behavior Modification via Altered Map RoutesBased on User Profile Information” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-550-PCT);PCT/US14/34098, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Location-BasedHome Automation Triggers” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-556-PCT);PCT/US14/34108, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle InitiatedCommunications with Third Parties via Virtual Personalities” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-559-PCT); PCT/US14/34101, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Vehicle Intruder Alert Detection and Indication” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-562-PCT); PCT/US14/34103, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Driver Facts Behavior Information Storage System” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-565-PCT); PCT/US14/34114, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Synchronization Between Vehicle and User Device Calendar”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-567-PCT); PCT/US14/34125, filed on Apr. 15,2014, entitled “User Gesture Control of Vehicle Features” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-569-PCT); PCT/US14/34254, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Central Network for the Automated Control of VehicularTraffic” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-574-PCT); PCT/US14/34194, filed onApr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle-Based Multimode Discovery” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-585-PCT); U.S. application Ser. No. 13/843,011, filed onMar. 15, 2013, entitled “Vehicle Occupant Health Data Gathering andMonitoring” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-229-CON); PCT/US2012/065421, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Feature Recognition for Configuring aVehicle Console and Associated Devices” (Attorney Docket No.6583-318-PCT); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/679,443, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System for Maintaining and ReportingVehicle Occupant Information” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-251). The entiredisclosures of the applications listed above are hereby incorporated byreference, in their entirety, for all that they teach and for allpurposes.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method, comprising: receiving sensor data fromone or more vehicle sensors; determining a vehicle health state of oneor more subsystems of a vehicle; determining an overall vehicle healthstatus based on the vehicle health state; communicating, based at leastpartially on the vehicle health state, a status of a required vehiclemaintenance item to a user of the vehicle; determining whether the userhas completed the required vehicle maintenance item; and storinginformation about whether the user has completed the required vehiclemaintenance item in memory.
 22. The method of claim 21, whereincommunicating the status of the required vehicle maintenance itemincludes sending a notification to an application running on acommunication device of the user.
 23. The method of claim 21, furthercomprising comparing the sensor data to subsystem specification data,wherein the subsystem specification data is stored in a maintenancedatabase.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more subsystemsof a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparison results in one or morecharacteristics of subsystem specification data not satisfied.
 25. Themethod of claim 24, wherein if one or more subsystems of a vehicle isunhealthy, the vehicle is unhealthy.
 26. The method of claim 25, furthercomprising noticing a third party if the vehicle is in an unhealthystatus.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the third party is at leastone of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a maintenance provider,a regulatory monitor and a user.
 28. The method of claim 24, furthercomprising updating a fleet-wide OEM performance database if one or moresubsystems are unhealthy.
 29. The method of claim 21, wherein theinformation about whether the user has completed the required vehiclemaintenance item is stored in a user profile associated with the user.30. The method of claim 21 further comprising receiving a query from athird-party as to the health state of one or more subsystems of thevehicle and whether the user has completed the required vehiclemaintenance item.
 31. The method of claim 24, further comprisingdiagnosing the unhealthy subsystem.
 32. The method of claim 31, furthercomprising noticing a third party if the vehicle is in an unhealthystatus.
 33. The method of claim 21, where the one or more vehiclesensors include an odometer, a tachometer, an oil level meter and animage sensor.
 34. A non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, performa method comprising: receiving sensor data from one or more vehiclesensors; determining a vehicle health state of one or more subsystems ofa vehicle; determining an overall vehicle health status based on thevehicle health state; communicating, based at least partially on thevehicle health state, a status of a required vehicle maintenance item toa user of the vehicle; determining whether the user has completed therequired vehicle maintenance item; and storing information about whetherthe user has completed the required vehicle maintenance item in memory.35. The computer readable medium of claim 34, further comprisingcomparing the sensor data to subsystem specification data.
 36. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more subsystemsof a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparison results in one or morecharacteristics of subsystem specification data not satisfied.
 37. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 36, wherein if one or more subsystemsof a vehicle is unhealthy, the vehicle is unhealthy.
 38. The computerreadable medium of claim 37, further comprising noticing a third partyif the vehicle is in an unhealthy status, wherein the third party is atleast one of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a maintenanceprovider, a regulatory monitor and a user.
 39. A vehicle diagnosticdetection and communication system comprising a vehicle control systemconfigured to: receive sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors;determine a vehicle health state of one or more subsystems of a vehicle;determine an overall vehicle health status based on the vehicle healthstate; communicate, based at least partially on the vehicle healthstate, a status of a required vehicle maintenance item to a user of thevehicle; determine whether the user has completed the required vehiclemaintenance item; and store information about whether the user hascompleted the required vehicle maintenance item in memory.
 40. Thesystem of claim 39, the vehicle control system further configured tocompare the sensor data to subsystem specification data, wherein the oneor more subsystems of a vehicle is unhealthy if the comparison resultsin one or more characteristics of subsystem specification data notsatisfied.